


Clash

by posingasme



Series: Pack Wars [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Benny, Alpha Castiel, Alpha Dean, Alpha/Omega, F/M, M/M, Omega Sam, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-03-23 07:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3760273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/posingasme/pseuds/posingasme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam Winchester has found his companion, and it is none other than Castiel Argos, the First Claw and best warrior among the Argos clan. Now that high alpha Dean has admitted him into his pack, Castiel fears a coming war with rival pack leader Michael Argos, who may come to reclaim what was once his.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Harvelle Camp

The high alpha's tent at Harvelle's camp was more like a human tavern than anything else. Garth had been in more high alpha tents than he could count, and they each reflected the personality and priorities of the alpha himself. Or, in this extremely rare case, herself.

There were plenty of females who ran a camp behind the scenes. The pack, which had taken him in after he had left the Fitzgeralds, had been torn apart because the high alpha had been unaware just how much power his second mate truly had within the pack. She was not his blood mate; Jim had lost her years before, to a human hunter when she strayed too near a town in wolf form. His second mate had been a head case, and Jim had realized it too late. That was when Garth had lost his Bess.

Garth had been devastated to lose what amounted to his first real family and his one true love. He was both grateful and crushed that he had not gotten the chance to truly commit to her before she died. He had seen what losing a blood mate did to an alpha. Even without the blood sickness and brain chemistry gone haywire, Garth had nearly lost his mind. By the time Bobby and Dean found him wandering the forest alone, he had decided to lay himself down amongst flowers that reminded him of Bess and never get up again. Those flowers, as it turned out, were in Winchester territory.

Instead of killing him for trespassing, Dean turned to the old omega beside him for guidance. "What's your nose tell you, Bobby?"

Garth, even in his misery, was fascinated that this alpha was letting his omega make the call. Bobby had nodded. "Got a good heart, full of grief. Likely don't even know where he is."

Dean shrugged. "Come on, mutt. Let's get you someplace warm. You want to lay down and die, you can do it in a camp with food in you, not out here where you'll freeze overnight and draw in scavengers."

It was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him, apart from dear Bess and her father.

And now he was a valued member of the pack. After weeks of being left to mourn in peace and safety, much of that time spent whimpering into Bobby's cranky but somehow comforting wolf, Garth had emerged to give his fealty to Dean. "What's left of me is yours for my whole life. You're right I wanted to die. But you and Bobby have been so good to me that dying would be damn ungrateful at this point. Give me a job, Alpha, and you'll never have a more loyal wolf."

Dean had simply smiled.

When Garth, Christian, Jo and Bobby arrived in Harvelle territory, they could feel eyes on them. But it took no time at all for them to be identified, and wolves came from all directions to greet them, especially Jo. Garth and Christian were walking on two legs, but it was easier and safer for their female and old omega companions to travel in their wolves, and Harvelle's wolves were known for only shifting to human form when they were ready to throw back shots, so there was little talk until Garth and Jo were seated in the massive communal tent Ellen used for all her needs.

Harvelle wolves took pride in being the most feral pack of misfits among the Winchester clan. It was full of all the wolves who did not belong anywhere else. Had Garth or his friend Benny been able to separate from their hero Dean, they might have ended up in this camp. Benny would have fit right in, no question. Garth would have missed the treks into the city. Being Dean's liaison and sometimes ambassador gave him the chance to travel a great deal. The Fitzgerald pack had been a small group who had felt just as at home among humans as other wolves. The city and border towns were just as natural to Garth as the woods or a camp in a clearing. Dean had once accused him of not having the sense Fenris gave a dog, since he had no healthy fear of things that smelled like human. But in the same breath, his alpha had told him how much he appreciated Garth's special talents.

He watched as Ellen embraced her daughter as if she would never release her. He had always liked Jo, but if he were honest, the female scared the spit out of him. It was no wonder she had ended up mated to Mark Campbell, the only alpha smart enough to keep his mouth shut and defer to her for everything. It was not the same dynamic as Garth and Bess, who had trusted and valued one another deeply, but it seemed to work for Jo, and Mark had yet to complain.

Garth doubted he would ever take a blood mate or even an omega companion. At first, he had been too deep in the throes of grief for Bess, and now he simply preferred his solitude and freedom. He had enjoyed the company of a few single bitches, and sometimes still sought out the foot of Bobby’s bedroll on an especially lonely night, but nothing had ever turned into anything that could compare to his sweet Bess. So, at least for now, he was content to carry her in his heart as its sole occupant. Some alphas considered themselves incomplete if they did not have a bitch and an omega, or at least one of the two. Garth knew he would never feel that way.

Besides, the world was full of friends and family when you were Dean Winchester’s ambassador.

“Hey, Garth,” Ellen said in that kind, rough voice of hers.

He put his palms out in respect, though he did not lower his eyes. That was only for his alpha. “Hiya, Ellen. I brought you a wayward daughter.”

She burst into laughter. “I’m betting she brought herself, Garth,” Ellen pointed out dryly.

“Damn straight.”

Garth returned the smile. “Okay, give me some credit for having to run with her for the past two days.”

Ellen winked at him and reached behind a case to pull out some whiskey. “I’ll do you one better, honey. I’ll help you drink off your trouble.”

“Just one for him, Mama. He’s a lightweight.”

He did not even pretend to get his alpha bent out of shape about that comment. He shrugged. “It’s true. But that just makes me a cheap date, as the humans say.”

The wolf shook her head. “Never understand those humans. All right, Garth. Spill it. What’s Winchester want from me?”

“Now come on, Ellen. We can’t just visit you and bring your lovely daughter on a trip to her mama safe and sound? We brought Bobby too, you know. Says he hasn’t seen you in a couple of winters.”

Her eyebrow peaked suspiciously, but she nodded. “It’ll be nice to hang out with Bobby,” she said softly. “How long you staying?”

“Two nights, ma’am, though Christian will leave back for home after about an hour’s rest.”

“Don’t ma’am me, like I’m a human.”

Garth laughed. “What, you prefer Alpha?”

She screwed up her face in disgust. “No. I hate that more. You been coming around to bother me for years now, Garth. I think you can just call me Ellen.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Her eyes rolled in exasperation. “Go on, Garth. Out with it. Dean wants something.”

“Dean wants you to be ready, Ellen.”

The leader handed him a glass, passed the bottle to Jo, and sat across from him, suddenly all business. “Honey, why don’t you make sure my boys are taking care of Christian and Bobby? Feel free to tag anybody that ain’t, and tell them it’s from me.”

“Yes, Mama,” Jo snickered, and carried the bottle out of the tent with her.

Ellen’s eyes were on him now. “I’m always ready, Garth,” she responded at last. “Just tell me where and when.”

Garth shook his head, and threw back his drink. He gave a cough, then smiled sadly. “Here and now, Ellen,” he replied. “Here and now.”


	2. To the Last Claw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel is learning what family and a pack is supposed to be, and it shows him just how wrong his life was with the Argos pack.

Sam had been caught off-guard by how quickly word spread among Dean’s camp, let alone to other packs in the clan, that he had stolen himself an Argos alpha. He had even caught Johnny Campbell telling the story after a hunt about the way their kid omega had thrown himself between two brawling Argos wolves, had knocked Gabriel Argos himself clear across the room. As Sam remembered it, Christian was not even there yet when that happened, so Johnny's brother was a less than reliable source, but Sam never corrected any part of the story. It was nice that his Campbell cousins were boasting about him, expressing pride over Sam’s courage.

Castiel had not fared well in his first few weeks at the camp. He had been exposed to an illness his body had never encountered before, and had fallen quite sick. Tamara and Isaac, two mated wolves who traveled among all of Dean’s packs for trading and to check in on outlying territories, assured him that was common for a wolf new to a pack to fall sick initially, but Sam fretted and doted on him until he strengthened.

When Castiel was better, he padded quietly around camp and took on some minor chores Dean assigned him. There were snarls around camp, challenges simply because he carried the Argos name, and he had finally snapped and thrown one particularly arrogant alpha onto the ground and bitten into him. Dean had been livid with the posturing, though he could see plainly that Castiel had not instigated the fight himself, and had threatened to tag or cast out anyone else who had enough free time to worry about the alpha in the next tent over. He had doubled Castiel’s and Martin’s duties around the camp, and Sam had not missed the satisfied chuckle from Benny, who clearly disliked them both.

The high alpha had pulled Castiel and Sam into his tent, and sat them down. “How’s your paw?” he asked quietly.

Castiel stared evenly into his alpha’s eyes, defiance wafting off of him, and Sam cringed. “It’s fine.”

“Let me see it.”

A growl rumbled in Castiel’s throat. “I said it’s fine.”

Green eyes flashed in irritation. “And I said let me see it.”

Sam looked from one to the other. He knew how much Dean hated to repeat an order. Castiel was pushing his luck.

The subordinate held his hand up for inspection begrudgingly. “It’s fine,” he said again.

“Sam do your stitching?”

“Yes,” the omega answered quietly.

“Nice work, Sammy.” Dean released Castiel’s hand and sat back in his chair. “It’s got to stop. I don’t have time to worry about you getting your head ripped off, or that you’ll hurt one of my boys.”

Castiel’s snarl revealed his teeth, and Sam’s eyes fell closed. “I thought I was one of your boys,” he growled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Now Dean had had enough. He flew to his feet, pounding his palms against the desk, and put his own teeth inches from Castiel’s eyes. “Which is why I’m preparing for a damn war, you ungrateful cur!”

“Dean!” Sam whined. He felt like twisting into his wolf and curling into a corner, putting his paws over his eyes and nose. But he had never been that sort of omega. “You know Martin started it! He’s been posturing all week, and-“

“You’re smarter than Martin!” Dean shouted. He continued to direct his anger at Castiel. “You’re stronger. You don’t need to prove anything to him! In fact, you don’t need to prove anything to anyone but me!”

Finally, Castiel let his eyes drop in deference. “You’re right. I apologize. I won’t let it happen again.”

“I know you’re more disciplined than this, Castiel. What happened?”

Sam looked at his brother, trying to read his face. But other than anger and worry, on a backdrop of exasperation, he could decode nothing in Dean’s face. So he turned back to his alpha, who was breathing shallowly. In the blue eyes, he could see nothing but intense guilt. He frowned. He wanted to know what was going on between his brother and his alpha. What was he missing?

“I’m sorry, Alpha.”

“Sorry, Alpha?” Dean spat back. “You’re bonded to my brother, Castiel. You’re going to have to learn to handle criticism.”

The blue eyes flicked up, then back down in silence.

Sam glowered at Dean. “Bite me.”

 “Bite me, Alpha,” Dean corrected, and finally a tired smile spread onto his face. He sat back down, and watched Castiel from his chair.

The omega could feel the effort it was taking for his alpha to keep his temper under control. He could smell a mix of anger and humiliation coming from him. It nearly made him whine again. Fenris Lycan, when did Sam revert into such a pup? He wanted nothing more than to take his alpha back to their tent, curl him up in his wolf and lick at the hurt paw till the following dusk, ease and soothe away the aching, trembling fury he could smell.

“Get it out. Now. I won’t give you another chance.”

Castiel’s eyes burned cold, the gaze steady on the desk. “This camp is not ready for a fight. Alpha,” he added as a careless afterthought.

To Sam’s shock, Dean began to laugh. “What? Because you can take Martin? Hell, my pup Krissy could take Martin. He’s all bark. Don’t let him get to you, that’s all I’m asking.”

Asking. Dean did not ask. Sam bit his lip and looked back at his alpha.

The other wolf was fuming. “Not Martin,” he hissed. “The camp itself. My brother is coming. Don’t be mistaken about that. You’ve issued a challenge. You’ve stolen his First Claw, as well as a wolf he intended to make an example of. Both of those wolves are me, and he will not allow such a thing to stand. He can’t allow it. Much as I expect you to tag me before I leave this tent, to hold order in your pack, you can be certain of nothing if not Michael’s determination to take back what is his. I’m his.”

Sam could practically smell the spike in Dean’s blood pressure. “Cas-“

“You’re not Michael’s,” Dean said very quietly. His eyes were flashing in a way that frightened even his brother. “I’ve claimed you.”

There was a wave of wounded pride swirling among Castiel’s emotions as he spoke again. “Michael Argos recognizes no claims outside of his own. The Argos pack did not become what it is without strength of leadership, or by allowing things to be stolen from them. I was his Claw. You know what that means. You have Benny.”

A small intake of breath pushed into Sam’s lungs involuntarily. “Benny?” he whispered in shock.

Dean glanced at him, but looked back at Castiel. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No?” Castiel challenged. “My mistake, Alpha. Forgive me. It’s my error. I thought I could recognize in Benny every trait I possess, lacking of course the cunning and discipline which is the birthright of every Argos pup. What do you call your First Claw here at the Winchester camp? The term must be different, then? Or do you dispense with the title all together and simply call him a thug?”

Castiel boasted about the discipline of the Argos, but Sam was in awe of Dean’s ability to not twist into his wolf at the conceit in this subordinate’s voice. Instead, he bared his teeth. “Sam,” he said quietly, “take your alpha out of my sight. Walk him, and don’t let him off his leash until I tell you he’s safe.”

“Safe?” Sam breathed.

“I’ll let you know when I can look at him again without tearing him down to fur and bones.”

“This camp is not ready for Michael Argos,” Castiel snapped again. “You can yip commands and threats at me all you like, Dean, but it’s true. I see nothing but undisciplined thugs, and your First Claw has nothing on his mind but catching my throat in his jaws. Michael will take this camp with his least fighters, and not lose a single wolf as he does it.”

“Cas,” Sam said in a shaking voice. “Please. Let’s go.”

“No!” He looked into Dean’s eyes in clear defiance. “He has to tag me first, for my insolence.”

“Cas!” The big omega could not help the whine in his voice now. “Please!”

“Shall I shift for you, Alpha? Or do you prefer me in this form when you do it?”

When the green eyes blinked, it was as though time were slowing down. The lashes closed over smoldering green flames, then separated to reveal them again through narrow slits. “I’m not going to tag you, Castiel.”

“Then you’re as weak as your pack.”

It was faster than Sam could see, Dean’s leap over the desk and onto Castiel, twisting into a large, snarling wolf midair with a rare grace, before landing on his chest and taking him to the ground in a crash. The robe had been cast off in the lunge, and it was still floating to the tent floor as Castiel’s head shot up with a growl.

“Dean!” Sam wailed in horror.

“Do it!” Castiel screamed at the wolf crushing his chest. “Michael Argos would never let me leave this tent without a bleeding ear, or far, far worse!” To Sam’s astonishment, there were tears streaming down Castiel’s face, even as he shrieked into the wolf’s angry green glare. “The things he made me do to other wolves, your pack isn’t ready for that! You’re good wolves, innocent wolves, you stupid…Don’t you understand? He isn’t going to show you mercy like…” He was choking on his words now. “It’s just as Michael always says! Mercy is weakness and free will is an illusion! Compassion…compassion is going to get you killed!”

The green eyes narrowed in suspicion, then Dean backed away from his new wolf, and Sam hurried to retrieve his brother’s robe, hopeful that he would return to a form where talking was still an option. The growl was swallowed, and Dean nodded at Sam finally, accepting the robe as he shifted again.

“What are you doing? You stupid cur! Tag me! Kill me! Do something! I rebelled against the strongest alpha in the world! And now your whole pack is going to pay for that transgression. Your pack will be destroyed because my brother does not agree with you about mercy! Michael has no tolerance for weakness! He’ll kill every one of you, down to the last pup, because he can!”

The tears were coming hard and fast now, as he screamed up at Dean, who watched him with what smelled to Sam like bone-deep weariness.

“You stupid, stupid dogs! You have no idea what is about to rain down on you! You allow your alphas to posture unchecked, you let your omegas hunt and fight, you let your females wander camp unescorted, unwatched, and the pups are completely unguarded! How can you protect them against a force like Michael if you can’t even tag an insolent city mutt? Don’t you see? You stupid dog! I’ve killed your whole pack, every innocent, good heart you’ve got padding around here! I’ve killed Sam! You’re all dead already. You just haven’t hit the ground yet. And it will be all because of me when you do. It’s what I do, Dean! I’m a Claw, and I kill wolves. Even when they’re my family.”

Sam exchanged a glance with his brother, and everything he needed to know about Dean’s decision was in that quick lock of eyes. He licked his lips, and lowered himself to where Castiel wept on the ground.

“Cas,” he said quietly, wrapping his arms around his alpha. “Cas, what you see as weakness, we know as strength. Our pups are always guarded, Cas. Every minute of every night and day, there are guards on the pups, even if you don’t see them. Our females are unescorted and unwatched for the same reason I was unescorted in the city when you met me, and the same reason our omegas hunt and fight, and our alphas posture freely. It’s because we’re fighters. All of us. Every wolf you see out there can defend himself and his pack, and every one of them would die defending the smallest pup or the oldest omega. And that includes the smallest pup and the oldest omega themselves. You think mercy makes Dean weak, but you will never find a single wolf as loyal to Michael as every one of these wolves is to Dean. Even Christian would tear out his own heart before he failed one of Dean’s pups. You are the best fighter among the Argos, after all. It would be ridiculous if you couldn’t take Martin. But I’d like to see any other wolf try to do it.”

Castiel shook his head, as if he couldn’t stop. “You don’t know what Michael is capable of,” he murmured. “You don’t know what…”

“What he made you do,” Dean finished for him.

The blue gaze sparkled with hot tears as it met Dean’s. “You don’t know,” he sighed again miserably.

He nodded. “Cas, I do know. I think you’re the one who’s just now realizing it. You’re finally seeing what it is to be among real family, and you’re remembering how different it was back at Michael’s camp. You want to think I would have Benny do to my enemies-to my family-what Michael made you do to his. Because that would mean that’s what pack leaders are supposed to do. I don’t have a First Claw, Castiel, because I don’t need anyone to punish my own wolves. I don’t need to assassinate other alphas when they displease me. Or their blood mates.”

The noise which came from Castiel then was like no wolf should ever have to make. Sam felt a mourning howl building in him, and he crushed it down into a soft moan of grief instead. It was an entirely involuntary cry, one he had never heard from his own throat before.

A shiver ran through Dean when he heard it too. “You’re torturing my brother, man. You gotta forgive yourself for what Michael made you do, and you gotta trust me that I can handle what’s coming. I don’t lead by fear, Castiel. I lead by providing my wolves what they need, and not making them thank me for it. I lead by trusting them, and never lying to them, by respecting them, and listening to them. I don’t need a First Claw, when my wolves will fight to the last claw for me, Cas. They’re bonded to me in a way Michael will never understand. Don’t tell me a high alpha who could maul your blood mate to teach you a lesson would ever understand the fierce loyalty among my pack.”

This time, when he said it, he meant it. “I am sorry, Alpha,” Castiel whispered. “I’m so sorry. For everything.”

“I know you are, man. Come on. Go sleep. I’ve got to make my rounds. And, Cas?"

"Yes, Alpha?"

"You ever cause my brother to make that sound again, and I'll revisit my decision to not tag you."

Sam gave Dean an irritated glare and helped his companion from the tent.


	3. Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam is done with Castiel's self-depreciation. Sometimes even an alpha needs to be told no.

There were some things that even the most intelligent and observant omegas and females would never notice as two alphas interacted. He knew Sam was more intuitive than most, and that he was as synchronized with Dean as ever two brothers could be, and that he was quite sensitive to Castiel even after such a short time together.

But even Sam could not have picked up on the subtleties exchanged between Castiel and his high alpha in that tent. The poor big omega whined because he was overwhelmed by the emotion which slammed into him from Castiel, not because he truly understood.

And how could he? How could he know what Castiel was doing with flicks of his eyes and changes in his tone and glints of his teeth, by the way he held himself? He had done everything he could to push Dean over the edge, insulted him, insulted his pack, but unlike Sam, Dean could read Castiel's intentions clearly. He knew Castiel was baiting him, and yet it had nearly worked.

Dean's pack was not weak. It was well-trained, and operated like a single animal when its leader called on it to do so. But a fight with Michael would end with blood, one way or another. Dean might deserve the loyalty he was so confident in, but Castiel did not, and every wolf in the camp knew it. He was not just an Argos, not just a city mutt.

He was a Claw. The most despised of all wolves, one who was called on by his alpha to commit the worst sins. He did not deserve this family, and he certainly did not deserve to be saved from his own, not when it would cost blood that was precious to Dean and Sam. Why couldn’t they see that? Why couldn’t they see that they had erred in giving him sanctuary? He was not the wolf they thought he was. He was a killer. A Claw, and not just any Claw, not a thug or a bodyguard as were some who held that moniker. He was First Claw to Michael Argos, the hammer which crashed down on Michael’s enemies and friends at his whim. A wolf like that did not deserve anyone’s kindness, and should take no protection from what he did deserve.

Sam pulled him into his arms once they were inside their small tent. He whined into Castiel’s neck.

All the older wolf wanted to do was shift and sleep. But one look at his omega told him that was not an option. He sighed.

“No,” Sam said quietly, but firmly. “You don’t get to shift right now. In a minute, we will, but I want you to talk to me.”

Castiel watched him.

A calloused but gentle hand touched his cheek, and Sam tugged him onto the bedroll. “Cas, please.”

“What do you want me to say, Sam?” he asked, feeling far wearier than he thought perhaps he had ever felt in his life. “I’m sorry I upset your brother. I’m sorry I gave in and bit Martin. I’m sorry I didn’t hold my temper. I’m sorry.” He felt his voice breaking, along with his resolve not to burden Sam with his guilt. “I’m so sorry I’ve brought this down on your family. Sam, you’ve got to convince your brother that it isn’t worth it. That I’m not worth it. He’s committed to protecting me, and I respect that his word is important to him, but he can’t face an army for one wolf.”

Sam placed his hands on either side of Castiel’s neck now, and he could feel the warmth from them soothing him. “Of course he can.”

“But he shouldn’t! Not when that wolf is me.”

The sadness in Sam’s dark eyes was too painful, so he closed his own, but he could still feel the warm palms against his pulse, the thumbs outlining his jaw. “You don’t think you deserve to be saved.”

He could not respond.

“Cas, you still don’t understand how my family works. Maybe…maybe you’ll never understand. I don’t know. But trust me if you can. Dean isn’t stupid, and he isn’t weak. He isn’t naïve. Every breath he takes is for the good of the pack. He doesn’t know how to do anything else. And he’s allowed you to join the family. Now consider what it would look like to every other wolf if he did not dedicate all his resources to protecting you. Maybe this battle with Michael isn’t coming. Maybe we’re all worried for nothing. But if it comes, Dean’s wolves will act together as a unit, because we all know he would do the exact same thing for any one of us. Dean can’t stand Christian, and he doesn’t care much for Martin either. But if you think he wouldn’t bring down the wrath of Cerebus on anyone who laid a paw on either of them, you just don’t understand.”

“He could kill me.” It was a shudder as much as it was a vocalization. “He should kill me. Tear out my throat or shoot me full of silver, and leave me at the border for Michael’s scouts to find. The pack wouldn’t know. They would think I ran. If they ever found out, they would assume Michael’s wolves had done it. No one would have to know that Dean…that Dean did the right thing. That he protected his pack by severing a cancer from it.”

Sam’s teeth bit down on a horrible noise, a whine forced out with all the breath in his lungs.

Castiel lurched away from it, covering his ears. “Don’t!” he pleaded. “Sam, please. I can’t…Please don’t do that!”

But the sound came again, full of grief and exquisite, excruciating misery.

It filled his stomach with an overpowering nausea. Castiel dropped his head, bent himself over at the middle, as a wave of hot shame flushed through his whole being. “Please!” he hissed out. “Please, I’m so sorry!”

The third time made him fall to his knees, and tears washed his face. He sobbed in desperation as every nerve in his body screamed at him to make this better, as his heart roared at him that he was hurting his omega, as his every muscle demanded his immediate action. His claws and teeth were out, beyond his control, but there was nothing to fight, nothing he could bite into or rip apart to protect his companion. He, Castiel, he was the one hurting Sam, and he would never forgive himself. His blood pounded through him, and he swam in humiliation and terror. He had never felt anything like this before, and he wondered with panic if it could actually kill him, if listening helplessly to Sam’s cry could actually cause his breaking heart to stop.

“Please, Sam, please, please,” he babbled incoherently. “Please, I’m so sorry, so sorry.” His hands were over his ears, and he had curled into himself.

There was silence, finally, but his trembling, his ache, did not subside. He had never known what power an omega could wield over an alpha he had bonded. With one sound, that alpha would do anything, absolutely anything, without a thought, for that hurt or frightened omega. He knew without a doubt now that there was nothing he would ever be able to deny Sam.

“Please,” he whispered one last time into the quiet.

A hand, strong but tremulous, was stroking his hair. “Castiel, that is what the whole world would sound like if I lost you. Don’t you ever say that again. Don’t you ever. You are not a cancer. You are not whatever it is you think you are. I love you. Anna loved you. Doesn’t that mean something? Were we both wrong?”

“No. No, Sam, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Sam snapped. “Be stronger.”

A rush of breath filled him, and he lifted his head to stare at his beautiful companion. He supposed that should have hurt, but somehow it didn’t. Somehow, it was exactly what he needed. “I promise,” he whispered.

Sam nodded slowly. Tears were blinked back, and his jaw was set. “You were the fiercest wolf in the most powerful pack. And I made you mine. That made you Dean’s. I don’t care if you don’t like Dean’s methods, or trust his decisions. But you will respect them. He made his call, and you will accept that, or so help me Fenris, I will tag you myself. You may be Castiel Argos Winchester, but I’m Sam Winchester, and you are my family. Don’t you ever try to take my family from me.”

Gratitude and love flowed from him in waves, and he felt his heart piecing itself back together. He beamed with pride and wept with exhaustion as he looked up into those savage, unyielding eyes. “Yes, Omega,” he breathed in awe.

At last, Sam smiled too. “Good,” he said quietly. “Now lie down and let me take care of my alpha.”

Fenris help him, Castiel loved this wolf.


	4. On Opposite Ends of Winchester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winchester land spans across many packs. The two packs furthest from one another are led by powerful alpha litter mates who split the names of their parents, Trenton and Henrickson, and built their small packs at the edges of friendly territory.

Frank was far more tech savvy than any wolf had a right to be. He was also a little bit crazy. But as the leader of the pack that bordered the Lenore family territory, Cole Trenton was happy to utilize the talents of a brilliant, paranoid omega who never spoke in anything but riddles, and only to his high alpha.

So when the eccentric came babbling at the door to Cole's cabin, he immediately allowed him entrance. "Settle down, Frank."

"Settle yourself down, Alpha!" Frank snapped.

Elkin's eyebrows raised, and he exchanged a glance with Richie, but they were mostly accustomed to Frank's inability to show due respect for Cole.

Cole was the best trainer in the Winchester clan. He boarded young wolves from the furthest reaches of the family, to teach discipline and survival and combat skills. It should have irritated him that he had never been able to polish the jagged edges from Frank. Somehow, he did not mind.

"Richie, get Jake and Adam ready for the city. Elkin feels they're ready for that portion of their training."

"There isn't time!" Frank blurted out. "You don't know what's happening out there!"

About two thirds of Frank's conspiracies were imagined. But Cole knew better than to ignore the possibility that this was one of the other third. "What is it, Frank?" he asked patiently, gesturing for the city wolf to go, but for Elkin to stay. Richie chuckled as he slipped out of the cabin.

Frank noticed, and scowled. "He better bring me that equipment I asked for."

"He will. Frank, you said something was coming. What?"

He seemed to remember his reason for banging at his alpha's door. "Only the Lenores allied with Raphael Argos!"

Cole stared at him. "You know that how?"

Frank had the amazing ability to make everyone around him feel like an idiot. "Well, I've been working on reading minds over long distances, of course. My surveillance cameras, obviously!" He glared at Elkin. "And you said we didn't need them. Moron."

Elkin threw his hands up and rolled his eyes.

Cole was getting a headache. "Frank. Focus. What did you see?"

"None other than Ajay Argos meeting with Chet Lenore." He shuddered. "They are the two creepiest creeps I've ever spied on."

"They're probably just trading," Elkin suggested worriedly.

Frank shook his head. "Are you hunter types all as dumb as you look? Because you smell and look like stupid."

"Cole, I might have to kill him."

"Not today. Frank, give me something real."

"Fine. You want real? They exchanged paws."

Cole hurried to his feet. "You mean that the way I think you do?"

"Two severed wolf paws, handed from one to the other."

That was not a simple trade negotiation. That was a war alliance.

"Elkin, stop Richie. He's to get every trainee back to their barracks as quickly as it can be managed."

Elkin stood. "Every one?"

"No matter where he is. And tell every alpha to bed down until dusk. Then they are to be outside my cabin in formation to receive my order."

"Sentries too?"

"Put every female and omega on sentry duty. Except Frank, obviously."

"Obviously," both males repeated.

Elkin was frowning. "Cole, females and omegas on sentry and alphas in lockdown. What do you think is coming?"

"Our fighters need to be rested, and all others need to be alert and practiced. Pack every pup in the barracks with the trainees. Their sole duty is the care and protection of those pups. Frank, get back on your godless machines, and tell me if you see any movement, any at all into Trenton territory, or anywhere in Winchester clan territory. Go."

"Cole?" the older alpha whispered.

"War, Elkin. It's coming."

***

The large wolf grinned at his phone. “Looks like Trenton misses me.”

Calvin rolled his eyes. “I doubt that. There’s a reason when two litter mates take territories four regions away from one another.”

Victor waved him off, and tapped on his phone. “Brother Cole, how can I possibly help you today?”

“How’s the nastiest pack alpha in the Winchester clan, Vic?”

“You tell me.”

Cole forced a laugh. “Vic, I need you to spread some intel. Can you get something to all points within forty-eight?”

Victor waved at Calvin and gestured for a pen and paper. “What you got?”

“An alliance between Lenore and Raphael Argos.”

He frowned. “So? They’re trading. What do I care about that all the way out here?”

“A war alliance, Vic. I wouldn’t call you if they were trading skins for fish scales. Besides, Raphael Argos doesn’t need anything Lenore’s got, unless it’s fighters.”

Victor took a breath. “You got any proof? Dean and Harvelle and the rest of them are gonna want proof.”

“Exchange of paws, right at the border, caught on our cameras.”

The wolf nodded slowly. “That’s as close to proof as you can get. Hate to think where they got the paws.”

“Some poor bastards who ended up on the wrong side of the territory lines, I guess. Ugly tradition.”

“Damn ugly. I don’t know how bad I gotta want to war on somebody else to slash off some dumb mutt’s paws for it. Well, maybe yours. But anybody else’s?”

“Shred yourself, Vic. Get the word to all points that my boys are on fours as first defense. But we’re a small pack, Vic, like you. We’re trainers. If they come at us with enough force, we won’t hold up, and the next pack’s gotta be ready.”

“Makes you think they’re coming that way?”

“What other way are they gonna go? Toward the Vargr? The Lafitte? Raphael could take out them, and wouldn’t risk allying with the Lenore for it. Besides, the Vargr are the only buffer between him and Michael. No, the Argos packs are waking up, and they’re going to try to snatch up whatever territory they can get from Winchester to use in their war against each other.”

A chill went through Victor then, and the tent seemed far too cold. “They don’t know it’s Winchester territory. Far as they know, we’re all individual packs, with loose trading alliances.”

“I’d like to keep it that way. Can you think what Michael Argos would do if he found out how many wolves Deano’s got?”

“I’ll get you reinforcers as quick as I can, Cole.”

There was a pause. “We found something else, Vic. When we contacted our closest allies. Something much, much worse.”

“What could be worse than-"

The way Cole cleared his throat of emotion made Victor catch his breath. “Jim Pastor’s pack. Sent Elkin and one of our trainees, Jake, to spread word to them, maybe get their forces up.”

Victor closed his dark eyes.

“They’re gone, Vic. Just gone.”

“Caleb?” A primal urge to produce the mourning howl for a litter mate was building in him.

“I think we lost him, Vic. His bitch Kate, his omega Ronald. Only one alive in the whole camp was Gordon, bleeding out from the throat. Like he was holding on just long enough to say the word Lenore. And that was it.”

“I can’t tell Kubrick and Creedy that, that their little brother was slashed open by a Lenore! Dammit, Cole! How did Pastor not see it coming?”

“Same reason none of us will. They’re Lenore. Silent, deadly, and arrogant in the extreme. And the worst part is this.”

Victor wasn’t sure he could take much more worse. “Fenris tell me losing Caleb is the worst news you got.”

Cole was biting back a whimper he would never allow anyone but Victor to hear. It broke the alpha’s heart to be so far from his litter mate while mourning a brother together. Cole, Victor and Caleb had each been given their own territories, on opposite ends of the Winchester clan borders. Caleb had been granted his under the condition that he served his high alpha Jim Pastor until his death, and then he would receive that status himself, which he had agreed to instantly, since Jim was a hero of his. Each alpha had taken a handful of wolves with him to build a small, manageable pack, and so they shared several litters between them, including Kubrick, Creedy, and Elkin, as well as Roy, Walt, and Gordon, all from the same father. John Winchester had placed Cole’s pack adjacent to Jim and Caleb’s, and sent Victor to the far opposite end. At least ten packs’ territories spanned the distance between them. Victor had never regretted it before now.

“Cole?”

“Truth is, Vic, if the Lenore have allied with Raphael Argos, that means Michael’s on the move too. It’s the only thing I can figure with Raphael risking an alliance that would piss off the Vargr so bad, not to mention Michael himself. If Raphael is shoring up allies and venturing into Winchester land, Michael must be about to make a move too. And the two Argos packs never stop at warring on one another.”

“They got to pull in all the surrounding territory too. Kill off a few packs to grab territory and resources. And if they’re allying with Lenore…”

Cole sighed. “Then the obvious target is us.”

Victor turned his eyes up at where Calvin stood quietly at the entrance to his tent. “Calvin, get ready to send a message to all points.”

The wolf nodded, and slipped out of the tent.

“All right, man. I’m going to send out the intel. But you gotta know I’m sending you reinforcers. I’m going to get you through this. You got my word.”

There was a sad laugh. “Yeah. Thanks, Vic. But they’ve already hit Pastor. If you think my cabin’s still going to be standing by the time reinforcement can arrive, you don’t have a clear picture of the map in your head.”

A severe frown crossed his lips. “We lost Caleb. I ain’t losing you. You take Dick Roman down, Cole. Alive’s a bonus, but not necessary. Getting information is secondary to you staying alive.”

“You know I’m hard to kill,” he laughed out.

A stab of pain hit Victor’s chest. “Cole.”

“I’ll do what I can, Vic. Get the word out.”

“I will. And then I’ll run all night.”

The laughter was a harsh bark now. “What, for three days? Victor, if they come for us, I’ll be gone by then. There are no roads into my land. Driving isn’t going to get you here any faster. And your pack needs you there. This is our goodbye. I just want you to know I’ll be going out fighting, like we always talked about.”

Desperation filled his heart, and his voice. “Cole, we always talked about going out fighting together. At each other’s backs.”

“I’ll always have your back, brother. And I’ll feel you at mine while I tear down as many Lenore as I can to keep them out of the next territory. Howl for me tomorrow if you don’t hear from me, and make sure Dean knows I’m doing all I can, that every wolf I got is doing all it can to slow the tide I feel coming.”

“Cole…”

“Take care of yourself, brother. When you see the moon tonight, howl with me for Caleb.”

Victor nodded, but he couldn’t speak, and at last Cole ended the call. Victor stared at his phone for several seconds, hearing his own heart beating and breaking. Then he looked up and gave a weak smile. “I got nothing here. Empty tent. String of angry bitches. I should be right where you are,” he whispered at the phone. Then he took a deep breath and nailed down the mourning howl in his throat, as his fingers dialed. “Deano,” he croaked. “How was your morning?”

***


	5. Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam leads a hunt.

Sam saw Benny's ears prick curiously. He flicked his eyes at the black wolf, then at the flash of black and brown fur behind him. Castiel caught the glance, as he always did, and he ducked into Sam's wake as they ran. Sam was pleased with Castiel's immediate response. Perhaps he could turn the mutt into a decent pack hunter after all, he thought fondly.

But he kept his eye on Benny. The sweet brute was distracted tonight, and Sam knew Dean would not have tolerated it, so even though it went against his own inclination to do so, he lengthened his stride and nipped at Benny as he barreled past him and took the lead. He could feel the surprise from his friend, but there was no growl or show of teeth in response. The only irritation Benny allowed to show was in a slight flattening of his ears, but he fell in step with Castiel and the others without any true complaint. This was Sam's hunt, and that meant no back bark about being pulled out of a daydream.

It was not a full minute later, however, that Sam could feel Benny falling back slightly. It annoyed the omega to have to let the scent fade while he whirled on his best hunter, who apparently could not keep himself focused.

The five wolves in his charge trotted to a stop and lowered themselves, taking the chance to catch their breath. They each turned to Sam for instruction, and traced his gaze to Benny.

The most senior, an alpha called Fred gave Sam a movement of his tail which indicated that something was not right, and sniffed the air to encourage Sam to use his nose before laying into Benny for being undisciplined or disrespectful. Fred did this from behind the others, so that the only one who could see his advice was Sam himself. He appreciated the discretion. Fred was a smart old wolf, and he had watched Sam and Dean grow up. It had been Fred who had given them their first beers as pups, before they were even double digits. John had been less than pleased, but Bobby had laughed at him. Fred had given him and John their first ones too, he reminded him.

So Sam took a moment to sniff at Benny for explanation, and he found him on high alert. His eyes and ears flicked continuously around them. Sam took a breath. He might be the pack's best nose, but he knew better than to disregard the ears and instincts of a wolf who had been raised in a howler pack. Non-shifters might be at a disadvantage in some ways, but they were rarely caught off guard by danger.

He had his nose focused on their prey, then on Benny, but now he stood back to sniff at the air around them for anything else that might be causing Benny's unease. A few nods and movements of his eyes set his wolves in a tight circle. It was a classic Dean Winchester formation. Dean had ever identified with the three heads of Cerebus, had taught his pack to communicate as many sets of eyes for one animal. John had trained most of these wolves personally, and then they had been patched together by Dean. Now it was Sam who required them to use this training.

Castiel was the only wolf who had to look to Sam for guidance, but he was smart, and he was only an instant behind the others. By the time Benny's growl began, all six wolves were lowered into a fighting stance, and each was staring out into the darkness with his back to the other five.

Sam smelled the threat just as Benny must have heard it. The others responded to their reactions, and were more than ready when the attack came.

When it did, everything happened faster than Sam could even process. As both the only omega present and the hunt leader, it was his responsibility to howl. He could sense Castiel's reaction to his voice even as his alpha gnashed his teeth and sunk them into the sleek white wolf in his range. Castiel had never heard his howl, and he suspected it was reverberating in his heart in the way it would for Dean.

 _Sam in trouble_.

The howl would be heard by Dean's sentry at the camp, and spread as a warning to the others that Sam's hunters had come to danger.

Sam had done all he could to warn the rest of the pack. Now he focused on protecting himself and those in his charge.

The white wolves were each individually fearsome fighters, but it was impossible for Sam to estimate how many were flying out of the woods at them, because they did not seem to be acting in any synchronized fashion. White blurs came from every direction, descending upon Sam's hunters mercilessly. There was no posturing, no exchange of growls, simply ruthless teeth snapping at throats.

Sam used his sheer weight against one wolf who lunged at him, slamming him into the tree hard enough to hear the shattering of bone. He whirled in time to see Castiel and Benny fighting at one another's backs, ripping apart four white wolves as if John Winchester had trained them as a lethal pair. Sam knew that the two of them were the least likely to need his help; he moved instead to Fred's side. Three white wolves had yanked Fred out of the protective formation, and separated the old alpha from the others. Sam barreled into one of them, knocking him a few feet away, and let his teeth latch onto another. With the odds evened, old Fred pulled down the third to wrestle. From a great distance-too far-he could hear an answering howl. Too far. They were on their own for this.

Sam tended to choose his hunters for their speed. When Dean led a hunt, he had other things he looked for. Sometimes he specifically chose wolves according to weaknesses which needed strengthening. When Christian led, he wanted wolves he personally enjoyed stalking with, like his brothers. But when Dean had left the hunt up to Sam tonight, Sam had chosen his fastest hunters. These were wolves that truly enjoyed the track and chase game, and who trusted Sam's nose and could keep up with him. It so happened that at least two of these were also Dean's best fighters.

Fifteen wolves attacking six should have been a quick fight, a bloody and devastating one for Sam's hunting party. But if these white wolves, whoever they were, had truly understood whom they were ambushing, they would have brought more.

Sam had left one wolf broken at the base of a tree, and had torn the throat from another in defense of Fred, who had ended the one unfortunate enough to find itself underneath the old alpha at the end of their wrestling match, as well as the one who had gotten up from where Sam had shoved him to the ground. Sam could hear vicious snarls and hurt yips from the alphas paired behind him, and he tried to add his own claws to theirs.

Before he could do so, two white wolves were suddenly on him, shredding and rending, and jolts of pain shot up to his shoulder. The teeth had missed their mark, and he would be grateful that his throat was still intact, but he was too distracted by the set of jaws wrapped around his right foreleg and the set tearing apart his back. A strangled cry of pain and rage erupted from his chest. His vision was edged with black, and he knew he would lose consciousness, no matter how he fought against it. His hunters needed him. The pack needed him...Castiel needed...

***

Castiel could taste the blood. His fur was sticky with it, his rage thrilled with it. Bloodlust and instinct were leading him, guiding his snapping jaws. He could feel Benny behind him. It was exhilarating and a bit terrifying to be fighting with someone like the big brute. Castiel was a lone fighter, an assassin. It had been ages since he fought at the side of another warrior. Benny snaked around and bit into one of the wolves about to dive into Castiel, and nearly broke the thing in half with his powerful jaws. Castiel grinned as he returned the favor by shredding into a wolf lunging for Benny. This. This was the way a pack was meant to fight. He knew he should feel only anger and concern, but he could not help an adrenal wave of primal pleasure also flowing through him, as he defended his pack.

Then he heard the cry from his omega, and his blood ran ice cold. As the four white wolves bled out at their feet, he and Benny turned as one beast toward the horrible cry from Sam, and each of them tore into a wolf which had attached its jaws to their hunt leader. He could hear nothing now, could see nothing, could smell only Sam's anguish and taste nothing but blood.

Nothing mattered but Sam. He felt none of his own wounds, but screamed with the pain from Sam's. Even when they had shredded the two white wolves who had rendered his omega unconscious, and Benny had leapt to Fred's side to continue the brawl, Castiel placed all four paws in a cage around his companion and refused to move from him.

The last of the white wolves finally accepted their disadvantage, and abandoned their wounded and dead to flee into the woods. Benny caught one by the throat as it ran past him, and the wolf gave a pitiful shriek, then fell to silence. Just two escaped into the trees.

Fred was on two feet, and he turned to Benny. "Benny, Lee, follow and shred," he commanded. The large black wolf and a younger pale one raced after them. Fred sighed heavily, and glanced at Castiel looming over Sam, then at a dark figure on the ground near them. He looked back at Castiel sadly. "Shift, cousin. We can carry them to camp."

Castiel growled angrily. He would not shift from his wolf. He was not even entirely sure he could shift right now. His adrenaline was too high, and every instinct told him he was better able to protect his omega while in his wolf. He could not do as he was told. He simply couldn't.

Fred nodded. "All right, pup," he sighed. "The pack is on its way. I can hear them." He shifted down again and lay next to Johnny's still body.

An anguished snarl came from the largest of the white wolves on the ground. It was the one Castiel had torn from Sam's back. To Castiel's utter shock, the wolf began to shift, even as the last of its life bled into the earth. Castiel's lips pulled back to reveal fanged madness as he recognized the wolf.

 _Virgil_.

The dying wolf coughed out a bloody laugh. "Castiel, Raphael sends a message," he forced out.

The alpha quaked with rage.

"He wants you to know you've done what no wolf...what no wolf has ever...been able to do..."

Castiel tipped his head in suspicion.

Virgil choked on his laughter. "Castiel, Michael's Claw...Gave it all up for...for a male bitch...Did what no wolf could do...You gave Raphael and Michael a common enemy." The wolf spat blood at Castiel's feet. "You stupid cur! All for a male bitch-"

Virgil was quieter with his throat torn out.

Castiel returned to Sam and stood watch over him and Fred until Dean and his pack fighters arrived. Then he whimpered and collapsed beside his omega and curled into him. It seemed Sam was not the only one to have lost too much blood tonight...


	6. Addled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel is disoriented, and dizzy with blood loss, but he is determined to find out how Sam is. 
> 
> The Tran pack's high alpha has sent his omegas and females to lend a paw while Dean and his alphas are investigating the attacks.

Castiel awoke disoriented, and in his wolf. It startled him. In the city, where he had lived for four years, he had rarely changed into his wolf at all, except to pace his confining apartment. Now, even when he awoke tucked into the warm fur of his sweet omega, he was surprised to find himself still in that form, and some nights he found that he had shifted to two legs while he slept, though he had fallen asleep in his wolf.

This time, it was far worse. He was in his wolf, in a strange tent, and there was no Sam to ground him in familiarity.

No Sam.

Castiel leapt to his feet, and immediately crumbled in waves of dizzy pain. Scenes from the hunt came flooding back. White wolves lead by Virgil, one of the nastiest curs in Raphael's pack. Cousins they may have been, but Castiel had not felt a bit of remorse in shredding that one.

He tried to focus on the eyes and scents of the other wolves but he could not place them. As Michael's Claw, it was imperative that he knew every wolf in both Argos packs, even if he had never met them. He felt sure these were not wolves he knew, but really he had been so caught up in the bloodlust of his first true fight in years that he had not even recognized Virgil until he shifted, and that was unacceptable. He had more discipline than that. Focus in combat, that was Castiel's greatest talent, and he could not afford to...

 _No Sam_.

It hit him so hard he nearly vomited. He ignored the pain and allowed the fear to provide the strength necessary to twist out of his wolf. His wounds shifted with him, and a few of the stitched gashes broke open, but he barely felt it. He nearly blew out of the tent without grabbing a robe, and he was still tying it as he rushed out, a howl on his lips.

The call was silenced when he emerged to find himself in direct sunlight, unable to see anything around him. He scented the air desperately, but there were so many conflicting smells around him, including his own blood, and he could not catch the one he wanted-needed! His beloved bond was out there somewhere, hurt, and he needed to be at his side!

The camp was virtually unrecognizable. There was activity in the heat of the day, not another alpha in sight. He stared out, blinking against the sun, and watched as the camp bustled with activity. At first, everything seemed to be moving at random, but after a moment of dizzy confusion, Castiel realized every movement was being directed by two females he did not recognize. Females and omegas hurried from one tent to another, carrying water, fortifying den tents, distributing silver knives and practicing with them. One of the females, the shorter of the two, seemed to be directing more of the domestic activities, such as the drying and storing of venison. The other was correcting the handling of a knife by a young omega.

It was this female who finally took note of the confused alpha sniffing the air with near-hysterical despair. She strode toward him with a caution that suggested she knew just how panicked this alpha was becoming.

"Okay, buddy. Calm yourself."

It was an order, and Castiel turned to glare at her. But his voice trembled. "Sam! Where's Sam Winchester?" he demanded.

The female smirked. "Oh. You're Castiel. Sam is being treated for some nasty injuries."

He could not help baring his teeth. Under normal circumstances, he would never do so to a female, certainly not one who seemed to be trusted by his high alpha- _and where was Dean anyway?_ -but he was unbalanced without Sam, without at least an idea of how Sam was, where he was. "I need to be with him!"

"And I need you to bring your alpha in check!" she snapped, showing her own teeth.

He growled quietly, but the longer he stared into her eyes, the more it became clear she could not be intimidated. After a moment spent gathering his self-control, he forced his teeth back into their place in his gums.

"That's better," the female said quietly. "I'm Jody Tran of Kevin Tran's slice of the Winchester pie. We came to reinforce Dean's camp while he does what he needs to do. Over there is Linda Tran, mother to our alpha. I suggest you don't try showing those teeth to her, if you'd like to keep them."

Everything about the way this camp, Dean's pack, operated was confusing. He shook his head wearily. "Sam," he whimpered in defeat. "I just want Sam."

Jody's eyes softened, and she took his arm. "I know, Castiel. We aren't separating you to be cruel. He's bad off, and we are worried about infection."

His blue eyes searched her face frantically. "But...but we're bonded! I can't pass on anything to him! Being with him won't put him in danger of infection!"

Jody looked like she was trying not to roll her eyes. "Castiel, that's an old wives tale, as the humans would say. It's thinking like that that ends up killing a lot of wounded omegas in uneducated camps."

Castiel bristled at the indication that he was uneducated. "I was whelped in the highest echelon of the Argos pack. I assure you I am more educated than any wolf you've ever encountered."

The smile on Jody's face was not unkind. "You haven't met my friend Bobby." She tugged his arm and set them walking toward a tent across the camp. "Come on. You can't touch him or get too close, but you can see him and if he's awake you can talk to him."

"If he's awake?" Castiel murmured fearfully, all heat gone from his voice.

The female did not respond.

Castiel swallowed with difficulty. "Where is Dean?"

"Let me catch you up as we walk," she said gently. "And then when you've seen Sam, you will need to go back to rest. I know better than to try to make a bonded alpha see to his own injuries before his omega's, but you're hurt worse than I think you realize. And Dean will need you soon."

"Dean," he reminded her.

"Last night while you boys were stocking the coffers, and getting yourselves ambushed, Dean got a call from his far pack, Henrickson. They're on the furthest reaches of Winchester territory, and one of their most important functions is to serve as a communication beacon to all points. Last night, they spread word that one of Dean's packs that borders Lenore territory was crushed down to the last wolf, with no warning. The other border pack, Trenton, was hunkering down for a fight, but they're a small outpost pack, and if Lenore hit them full force...Well, they probably aren't there anymore."

Castiel's head was spinning. "Lenore?" he hissed. "Dick Roman's pack?"

"Not after Dean gets done with them," Jody growled with a feral sneer.

None of this made sense. "We were attacked by Raphael's wolves," he muttered, almost to himself. "Is Lenore just trying to take advantage of Dean's distraction to gain territory? The Lenore are one of the oldest families in the world, maybe even older than the Argos, but they rarely leave their territory. Why would they? They're sitting on the purest forest and most naturally fortified rock any pack has access to. They barely even bother to trade because there's nothing they need that they don't have in their land."

Jody shrugged. "They're all inbred and crazier than the Vargr. I can't pretend to know what they're about." She stopped in front of a tent and gestured. "Remember. Don't get too near him."

All thought slipped from Castiel's mind as the tent entrance was pulled back to allow scent to reach him. Sam! He dove into the space and his eyes flicked anxiously around the partitioned tent. "Sam!" he breathed. When he saw the body lying on a cushioned bedroll, he dropped to his knees to keep from rushing toward him. “ _Sam!_ ”

The omega stirred, rolling onto his back, and let out a stuttered cry of sharp pain. He quickly moved back onto his side, but this time he was facing his alpha. “Cas!” he whined.

Castiel’s eyes were black with the effort of keeping himself planted, and they closed entirely when Sam reached for him. “I can’t,” he said hoarsely.

Jody stepped up. “Sam, you’ve got some nasty wounds, and so does he. I can’t let you two get each other infected. Not with what’s coming. Dean’s going to need you both.”

It was as though Jody knew exactly what to say to them. Dean needed them to recover, to be ready to fight for the pack. Dean needed them. They were the only words that would be enough to keep them apart voluntarily.

Sam bit down another whine. “It’s all right,” he said finally. “Cas, I’m all right.”

“Sam, I’m so sorry.” Castiel’s hands shook as they reached for his own hair. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get to you in time.”

The omega was frowning at him. There was pain and exhaustion in the eyes, but confusion too. “In time? Cas, we…we were set on by fifteen strong wolves. Five of the six of us made it out.” He barked out a short laugh, then choked back emotion. “I’d say that was damn good.”

Castiel glanced at Jody suddenly, then at the omega in charge of Sam’s care. “What, five? Who? Not the old alpha, not Fred. Was it…was it Benny? Fenris, please, was it Benny?”

A very slow smile crept onto Sam’s face. “No, Cas. We lost Johnny Campbell. Benny and Lee made it back.”

The alpha breathed again. “Oh. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about Johnny. He seemed like a good wolf. I just…didn’t know him…But I know he’s family, so…”

Sam nodded once, and even this seemed to cause him pain. “Cas, Benny’s next tent down, if you want to see him.”

The shuddered breath came too fast. “I…No. I’m sure he wouldn’t want…I’m not the one he would want to see. And…I don’t want…” He smiled pitifully, and let a tear slide down his cheek as he met Sam’s eyes again. “I don’t want to look at him and know I didn’t protect you like I should have. I don’t want to…” Castiel was unsure how much blood he had lost, and he was becoming lightheaded. There had been no caretaker in his tent when he had awoken, so he took that as evidence that he was either not hurt badly enough to warrant nursing or not important enough. Either way, he refused to give in to the dizziness. Not when he could be watching over Sam.

“Cas, I need you to rest.”

His eyes flew open, and he was unsure when exactly they closed. “No. No, I need to be here with you. Watch over you.”

The omega coughed out another laugh. “Cas, that’s sweet. And stupid. Go rest. I’m getting better or I’m getting worse. Nothing you can do about it either way.”

It was not at all what he wanted to hear. It was the last thing he wanted to hear. “Nothing I can do.”

Sam licked dry lips. “Cas, I don’t mean-"

He struggled to his feet, and found Jody there to stabilize him. He resented it immediately, and stood firm on his own bare feet through force of will. He snarled at her when she moved to touch him again.

“Cas, stop.”

He looked at Sam with wrath in his eyes. “Don’t tell me what…”

A brown eyebrow raised in anticipation of his next words.

Castiel nearly bit through his own tongue as shame filled him. He took a breath. This was ridiculous. Bonded or not, blood loss or not, he had no justification for acting this way. Had he been away from a pack for so long that he did not know how to behave in camp? Besides, this was Sam’s family. Even if it didn’t feel like his family yet, he would not embarrass Sam by being overprotective and hard-headed. It was no wonder Jody thought he was ignorant. “I’m sorry, Sam. Jody, I’m sorry. Please, may I just…Sam, I can’t…” He took a deep breath as he saw Sam’s eyelids weakening. “Of course, Sam. I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone.” It broke his heart to say the last word while Sam was obviously so gravely injured. But he would not die. Castiel could feel that. In his bones, he felt it. He would know if Sam were dying, and if that were so, nothing in the world could have torn him from his side. “I love you, Sam.”

A soft smile was his reward. “Love you, Cas. Rest now.”

He nodded and backed out of the tent to stumble…somewhere else.

Jody hurried after him. “Whoa, kid.” She ducked under his arm and draped it around her shoulders to help him along, in spite of his empty blue glare. “Knock it off. You took some-"

“Nasty wounds, yes, I get it.”

And with that, Castiel fell to the ground, with only the vaguest impression that Jody was bracing his head before it hit.

***

He could feel himself being lifted from the ground before he was ready. It hurt. Everything hurt, but especially his eyes.

“Hey, now, brother,” a drawl soothed.

Castiel could not open his eyes. He breathed through his nose and tried to scent the air around him. “Benny,” he rasped as he was lifted nearly off his feet.

“That’s right, one foot in front of the other, chief.”

Castiel’s head dropped hard, smacking his chin into his chest.

“Easy, brother. Easy. I got you. Linda. Linda!”

A sharp voice was answering from a short distance away. “What’s going on? Benny, who is that?”

“I think he needs to go to the city.”

“No,” Castiel groaned in his roughest voice.

“Lost too much blood,” Benny was saying. “Get him to the humans. Dean ain’t gonna like me letting his new prize fighter die while I’m-"

Linda snorted at him. “If you say while you’re in charge, Benny Winchester, I’ll show you just how wrong you are. My son-“

“Your son better get this mutt to the humans.”

“No,” Castiel protested. “I can’t go back to the city.”

“You need blood, Cas. A human doctor can-"

“No!” Castiel shoved himself away from the large alpha, and fell to the ground again. “I won’t leave Sam, and I can’t…go back to the city.”

Linda was sighing. “Benny, what the hell is a human doctor going to do for him anyway? He’d need wolf blood to do a transfusion.”

“I got some of that, you know.”

Castiel’s eyes fluttered open at last, and he stared at Benny as his heart pounded in his chest, pumping too little blood to the rest of him. “Yours?”

Benny shrugged. “What’s family for?”

There was silence around them, and Castiel wanted to shake his head, but he was afraid he would black out again. “No. I can just rest it off. I promise, I’m hard to kill. Can you…I just need to get to a bedroll…”

The big wolf lifted him to a stand again, and turned to Linda.

She put her hands up. “He wouldn’t dare die on my watch. Put him to bed. Then get back here so I can change your bandage again. Go!”

“I hear you, mama, I hear you.”

He deposited Castiel onto the bedroll in the tent he had awoken in, and smirked down at him. “Okay, brother. You say you’re hard to kill. Prove it.”

Castiel curled into himself with a harsh groan, squeezing his eyes closed again. “Proved it last night,” he wheezed.

Benny laughed quietly. “That you did, brother. Gotta say, Sammy found a hell of a fighter to bring home to Deano.”

“Dean already had one here. And I was honored to fight at your back.”

There came a chuckle, one with a touch of pain behind it. “Rest up. The minute Dean gets back to camp, he’s going to want us ready, blood or no blood.”

“I tried, Benny. To keep him from being hurt.”

“I know you did. So did I. Damn kid can’t keep himself out of trouble. Ain’t your fault.”

Castiel heaved a sigh into his knees. He hated what he must look like, but he couldn’t help it. The dizzy feeling was overwhelming, and he was afraid he might be sick right in front of Benny.

“I’ll let Sam know you’re going to be fine.”

He felt the alpha exit, and he smiled to himself as well as he could. It was practically an order to be fine. Castiel knew how much Benny meant to both Sam and Dean. It was why he had insulted the poor beast to anger Dean days ago, something he regretted now. The wolf had fought at his back, had tried to defend Sam alongside him, and had just offered to give him his blood, because that was what family was for. Castiel knew how Benny felt about his omega, could smell it all over him. He appreciated how much it must hurt to accept Castiel as Sam’s alpha. He was certain he would never be capable of the generosity Benny had shown him if their roles had been reversed.

A few hours of groggy dozing passed, and when he opened his eyes, a female was kneeling beside the bedroll. Castiel startled badly and twisted into his wolf without meaning to do so, baring his teeth even as pain shot through him.

“What the cuss? Back off, you mutt!”

Castiel slammed back onto the bedroll weakly.

“That’s it, you scary pooch. Think I can’t put a bit of silver in that heart of yours, you’re dumber than stupid. Now shift back so I can see which stitches you ruptured this time. And don’t try anything. I got a knife right where I can get at it.”

When he had done as she told him, with much difficulty, he lay in defeat and simply breathed as well as he could.

“Okay, then. I’m Donna Tran, and I’ve been charged with helping you not die. So don’t.”

He nodded slowly. “Castiel Argos,” he muttered without thinking.

“Uff da! Argos? Don’t let Deano hear you say that! He’s just looking for a hound to tag today!”

Castiel struggled to lift his head, and she pushed him back down. “Dean’s here?”

“Oh, you betcha. Pissed as I ever saw. Ripped into my alpha Kevin like he was the one who opened the gate for Dick Roman himself!”

He winced. “No,” he muttered. “That would be me.” He was sure of that. He had no idea what the Lenore were up to, but he was certain it all came down to him ducking his punishment from Michael somehow.

“Whatever you say. All I know is you aren’t allowed to die. If Dean wants to kill you later, he can. That’s nothing to do with me.”

“How is Sam?”

“Dean’s brother?” Donna nodded to herself. “Ah. You’re Sam’s new bedroll. He’ll be all right. And so will you, if you’re interested.”

Castiel realized it had not occurred to him to ask about his own injuries. He had never recovered from a wound with help before. Anna had once cleaned him up after a battle against Raphael’s wolves, but Michael’s policy was that only the strongest wolves deserved to live, and if a wolf died of an injury taken in battle, he should consider it noble to have perished in the name of his alpha, Michael himself. If his wolves survived a battle they did not win, they were summarily executed for their failure. Even as a younger brother, a true Argos wolf, Castiel was expected to complete his tasks with victory, and to recover from any injuries taken on his own without complaint. Any wolf who did not show such stoic dignity and strength was unworthy of Michael’s name.

With this in mind, Castiel turned to the female and took her hand in his. “Thank you,” he murmured. “I don’t mean to be difficult. I’m not in my head right now. I appreciate all the care you’ve given me. And I appreciate everything your pack is doing for all of us, especially Sam.”

Donna gave him a lovely smile. “You betcha,” she said, softer this time.

***


	7. Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orders are given.

Dean’s large hands closed over Castiel’s shoulder, then braced him against the bedroll as he startled awake to prevent getting a claw in his face. “Cas. Settle,” he commanded.

He was quietly pleased to feel the wolf react immediately to his voice. The shock of blue eyes hit him, and the relief and trust in them was a welcome surprise. “Dean. Alpha. It was Raphael. I tried to protect Sam, I truly did-“

“Shh. I know, Cas. Sam’s going to be fine. I don’t blame you for my brother taking a few teeth to the hide. Wasn’t the first time, and won’t be the last. He’s had worse.” He smiled shakily. “And as for Raphael…That clears up the last mystery for me. He sent those wolves after my brother?”

“Yes, Alpha. I recognized one of them. And…” Castiel licked his lips and took a breath before he continued. “And he said I’ve done what no other wolf could do in giving Michael and Raphael a common enemy. It’s my fault. It’s because of me, Dean. You lost a wolf today because of me.”

Dean stood and gestured for Castiel to do the same. He took note of the slight sway in the older wolf’s stance, but also the look of determination in his squinted eyes. “I lost a great deal more than that today, and it isn’t because of you,” he said in a gruff voice. “It’s because Michael and Raphael have decided to play chess on my board. If your buddy thinks those two mutt brothers of yours have actually banded together, he doesn’t have the sense Fenris gave a coyote. He’s just eating what he’s told.”

 “Virgil is not my buddy,” Castiel corrected vehemently. “Virgil tried to rip your brother’s heart out through his vertebrae. And I took his throat for it.”

Dean felt the first true smile on his lips in the past two moons. “I bet you did. Fact is, I talked to Fred and Benny before coming to you. Lee’s in a bad way, and we might still lose him, but Sam will make it. Fred said once Sam went down, he took on his role as senior alpha, sent Benny and Lee after the few that fled. And he said he tried to make you shift up so you two could carry Johnny and Sammy toward camp.”

Castiel’s eyes fell in shame, and his fingers moved restlessly over his robe. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. I’ll make some sort of atonement to Fred for-"

“Cas, stop. Fred said he knew you couldn’t shift. Said you were so wild angry you couldn’t. Said you stood over my brother growling even at him, ready to take on another fifteen wolves yourself if it meant keeping Sam safe. Then he said the instant you could hear my scouts had found you, you blacked out as if you’d spent the last of your blood just to shield that big, dumb omega. Benny said he never saw a wolf move as fast in battle as you did, and that he would fight at your back any night. He said…he said you’re the only wolf other than me he ever would have left to protect Sammy while he was hurt.”

The subordinate alpha took a shuddered breath at hearing the praise, and closed his eyes. “He’s a fine fighter, Alpha. They all are.”

“Quit calling me Alpha. Ain’t nobody around to hear it.” Dean gave him a grin. “As if I’m in charge of you more than my brother! I hear he kicked you out of the med tent.”

Now there was a flash of annoyance in the blue eyes. “That he did,” he confirmed. “Or at least made it clear that he was about to.” He looked up at Dean now, searching his face. “He’s going to be all right?”

“Yeah, Cas. He’ll be fine. Thank you. I’m glad you were with him when it happened. Benny’s right. Nobody better to protect him than you.”

The severe frown on Castiel’s mouth was not what he was expecting. “Dean, Sam never would have been attacked in the first place if my brother’s wolves weren’t out looking for yours. And they wouldn’t have been doing that if I had never bonded your brother to me.”

Dean had not slept in nearly seventy hours. Bad news had hit him from nearly every point of contact, as well as his own back yard. He had snapped at Kevin Tran for back bark, when he knew it was not Kevin he was truly angry with, and to make it worse, he was probably going to have to apologize not just to him, but to his mother. Trenton’s camp had gone silent, and he was still waiting for Garth and Christian to report back about what was likely a dead pack. Pastor was gone, wiped off the map. Harvelle was hounding him for orders, and Henrickson had not even waited for them before taking off across the territory after his brother’s doomed outpost, leaving a wolf, Calvin, in charge of the hub that Dean barely even knew. Bobby was laying low at Ellen’s with Jo, but he wanted him where he could give Dean advice, or at least where Dean could protect him himself. In the middle of it all, one of his smaller packs near Henrickson had a fever outbreak, completely unrelated to anything else that was going on, but that would require his attention as well at the worst possible time. It had not been a good quarter moon so far.

And now here was Castiel staring up at him like a guilty pup, and he wanted to shake him. “Cas, I know you’re more aware of the big picture than this. I get that you’re only in your first moon of being bonded, and your brain is a smear of hormones right now, but you better get it together. I’m going to need the advantage of having Michael’s former Claw in my camp.”

The head tilted very slightly in confusion.

“Castiel. This isn’t about you. Not really. This is a war between those bloated Argos packs. Like I said, your brothers are playing chess on my board. Winchester is not their endgame. It’s their battlefield.”

A tendril of realization sparked through Castiel’s eyes as they gazed around the room as though looking at something else entirely.

“There. You got the map in your head?”

There came a small nod. “It would help if I truly understood where your territory lies,” he said slowly, and Dean sighed with relief to hear the intelligence and cunning he knew was in there.

“Good. Let’s get you cleaned up and in my tent. I haven’t eaten, and I know you haven’t. It’s been over eighteen hours since we got you home from that hunt. I don’t have any more time to wait.”

“Yes, Alpha. Dean. But…may I see Sam first?”

“He’ll be there too. Bobby’s not here, and I’m not planning a war without an omega by my side. You two have gotten all the recovery time I can spare. Besides, we’re howling for a lot of lost wolves tonight. Come add your voice.”

Castiel cringed, but said nothing as he followed Dean from the sanitary tent.

Dean waved to Jody to approach. He liked Jody, always had. She was one of the toughest wolves he had ever known, but she reminded him a great deal of Ellen in the way she acted maternal toward him and Sam. She was a comfort, always. “Jody, how’s Lee?”

“He’ll pull through, Dean, but I don’t know if he’ll hunt or fight again. Might be time to retire him.”

It was a blow, surely. Lee was a great hunter. But he would deal with that later. “Fine. For now, just tend to him as well as you can. Kevin holding up?”

The female smiled conspiratorially. “He’ll live. He’s a tough kid.”

“Don’t call him a kid in front of anyone else. Bad enough his mother hovering all the time.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Jody laughed.

Dean did not care that those words were said with irony. Jody could call him whatever she wanted. “Jody, have Linda send boots and clothes to my tent for Castiel. Send someone in with a good meal for the two of us and Sam. And then make sure your girls and omegas get breaks. They’ve been working without a breath for too long, especially considering they’re probably all worried about their alphas back home. Who did Kevin leave in charge?”

“Chuck, I would think.”

The high alpha rolled his green eyes. “Oh, good. Just what I need.”

Jody snickered. “He’s put together better than you think. Besides, Charlie and Dorothy are there too.”

He shook his head. “What a motley crew I’ve got over there at Tran. Fine, just make sure Kevin checks in with Chuck every hour.”

“Of course.” Jody turned and walked toward Linda with Dean’s orders.

“Come on. Sam will already be there,” Dean barked. “Chuck,” he muttered to himself irritably as he pulled his tent flap to admit Castiel and himself. He saw Sam sitting on the bedroll, and his heart ached for a moment. “Sammy.”

The big omega shrugged and gave him a half-smile. “Dean.”

Dean ignored Castiel’s presence as he crouched to put his forehead to Sam’s shoulder. He would like to pretend he was comforting his brother, but the truth was that it was such a relief to be in Sam’s arms, to let half the burden flow from him onto his brother’s broad shoulders. He hated himself for it, hated to weigh his brother down, simply because he was not strong enough on his own.

“I can’t do this alone, Sammy,” he whispered.

Sam was warm. “Yes you can,” he assured him.

“Maybe. But I don’t want to. Thank you for not dying.”

The omega laughed softly.

Dean pulled back, and patted Sam on the face gently, as if he were not ready to lose contact yet. He heard his own voice rumbling out the details of his past two days, telling them about the phone call from Victor, about burning the remains of the white wolves, of communicating with both his own pack alphas within the family, and packs on the fringes of his territory, run by other families, which were at least somewhat friendly. Clothing for Sam and Castiel were delivered, along with their dinners, and they prepared for a long day of no sleep while they stared at Dean’s maps, and moved pegs around to indicate what they knew about the strength of certain territories and the flaws in the defense of others. Dean was grateful for Sam, and even for Castiel. The two of them listened to everything intently, offered up only minute suggestions or asked questions, but just having them there was comforting. Castiel knew things Dean did not about Michael’s habits and trading partners, and Sam was characteristically insightful about the strengths of certain members of Dean’s splinter packs, and how each could be utilized to its fullest potential. Both wolves were hurting, Sam could not stand by the map long before having to lie on his side on Dean’s bedroll, and Castiel could not seem to get enough water in him, but they were focused and determined to provide Dean with any support they could.

At last, he stepped back and sighed. Hours had passed, but decisions had been made, and the strain of exhaustion had been worth it.

“Sam, send Benny to me for my orders. You two go to sleep.”

“Dean, we don’t need to sleep if you don’t.”

The smug smile from Sam led him to believe his brother enjoyed Castiel’s defiance a little too much. How a wolf could sound entirely respectful and utterly loyal while disobeying a direct command, Dean wasn’t sure, but Castiel’s eyes were steady even if the rest of him was not.

“Don’t laugh, Sam. You’ll encourage him. Whole place will fall to anarchy, and I’ll blame you.”

Sam chuckled wearily. “Blame me all you want, but he’s right. We aren’t tired if you’re not.”

“I didn’t have a set of damn fangs trying to separate me from my spine, idiot.”

“You want one?” Sam challenged.

Dean tried not to laugh at the look of horror Castiel gave Sam at his back bark. “It’s all right, Cas. I’m unlikely to kill my brother right after Linda Tran spent all day patching him up. That is one scary female, and she takes her work very personally.” He sighed. “Fine.” He opened the tent flap to find Benny already on the other side of it, standing sentry as if he could not break the habit even for one night. Dean smiled at him fondly. “Hey, Benny. You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

The soft eyes lowered. “You didn’t post nobody. Can’t let you go unguarded, brother.”

“I did post someone,” he said in vague amusement.

Benny shrugged. “I ain’t trusting your hide to Martin. I don’t care how many little bruises I got, I’m fitter for it than him.”

Dean considered arguing that the wounds Benny took were hardly what could be called little bruises, but he could not complain about the wolf’s sense of duty. “Then come on in to hear my orders.”

The big alpha shuffled into the tent and nodded. “Listening,” he muttered.

The high alpha knew that Benny would remember every word, which was good, since he had never been one for reading much, and would not be writing anything down. So he began listing his orders without hesitation. “All packs assign a wolf other than high alpha as point of contact, and here that’s going to be Fred. If Lee recovers but isn’t able to…If I can’t pull him for a fight, he’d be a good choice to relieve Fred. But the other packs have gotten lazy about having someone always on comm. I want every pack alpha sending a report to Fred twice a day. I don’t care if all they got to report is the weather, they send it. Stagger them. I don’t care how. Just have Fred work out a schedule. My phone needs to only ring in an actual emergency, and it better be the pack alpha calling.”

Benny nodded. He took note of several orders for movement of fighters to various territories, and a few orders for some packs to retreat and fortify.

“All wounded that can be transported should be sent to Tran for recovery. They’re at the center of the territory, and they’ve got the best caretakers. For those that can’t be moved, have Kevin send two caretakers, preferably a female and an omega, to each pack.”

Castiel cleared his throat deliberately.

Dean glanced at him, and took a breath. “Send each with two alpha escorts to meet halfway with the other packs’ alpha escorts. Once they meet at the edges of the borders, send our boys back to us. Have Tran lend us some alphas for that too. They’re his caretakers. He can spare some alphas to protect them.”

The older alpha sighed, and lowered his eyes again. Dean gave Sam a smile. He liked that Castiel was protective, even of females and omegas he did not know. He would make a family wolf out of this one yet.

“We howl for Johnny, and for all the others we’ve lost, tonight at the highest moon. And I want every pack singing with us. Once they catch the howl, they participate with every adult and pup they got. No exceptions. I want to wake Fenris with this mourning.”

Benny’s eyes were feral; his smile showed fangs. “Yes, Alpha.”

Dean caught his brother’s eye, and Sam nodded his agreement. So he turned to Castiel, strengthened by Sam’s solidarity. “Tonight, we shake the ground under Michael and Raphael’s feet.”

His new alpha’s lips parted in a small smile, and then he was showing teeth as well. “Yes, Alpha,” he breathed.

***

When Sam was an older pup, perhaps thirteen winters old, he and Dean had snuck off to what was now the Tran territory. John had nearly killed Dean upon their return, and refused even to look at Sam, but until they had been caught, it had been the best two moons of their lives. Neither of them had truly planned to stay away from the camp for long, but they had thought their father was gone to Harvelle’s for more than a week. They had gotten to the grassland clearing and spent the first full day rolling in the tall grasses, chasing one another, and catching rabbits. They had lay watching the stars most of the night, and they had howled as loudly as they could when the moon emerged, and listened to the answers all around them. Some were from shifters, from John’s packs around them, and some were from natural howlers. Sam was certain he had never been more at peace than listening to the song of all the wolves around him, especially Dean’s.

***

Castiel had been nearly two years into his exile in the city when he had reached his lowest point. He had been separated from his pack, from his family, marked as a coward by each of his brothers, as a traitor by his pack alpha, had lost his blood mate in a vicious, senseless assassination. He had succumbed to a bottle of the humans’ whiskey and stumbled to the very edge of the city gates to stare through iron bars, tipped at the top ten feet up with sharp silver to poison any wolf who attempted to enter without going through proper channels. Ringed on all sides by iron and threats of silver, inside a city made for humans who hated everything he was, Castiel let tears flow down his cheeks as he stared out at the illusion of freedom beyond the closed gates. He leaned his forehead against the bars that protected him, trapped him in safety, and ached to his extremities with every howl he heard. It was the only night in four years he had given in and joined the song, and he prayed to Fenris for a human to catch him at it and shoot him full of silver poison to end this miserable half-existence. It was the lowest he had ever felt in his whole life, listening to the howls around him, which he could never join again.

***

Dean could hear Sam’s voice above all the others. If he concentrated, he could hear Lisa too, and his pups trying with all their little hearts to match her voice with theirs. When this was all over, he would go to them, and lie with them, and let them think they were taking their strength from him when he and Lisa both knew he was truly taking his strength from them. He wanted to fill his muzzle with their scents and know that no matter what else was coming, his family was strongest together. He wanted to let the little alphas, Ross and Tristan, and the girl Krissy, smell that their daddy had no fear, and he wanted to let sweet little Ben smell that daddy was afraid down to his core, but only his tiny omega instincts could sense it. He wanted to put his nose into Lisa’s neck and leave it there where it was warm.

Until then, he howled, and he listened. For a time, he could hear only Sam. His litter mate had always been quiet, but he had the most powerful, passionate howl. It was off-key, certainly, but in a way that made Dean love him all the more for it. Besides, they staggered their keys anyway, to keep other packs guessing as to how many voices they were hearing. It was a technique Dean had asked John about on one of the evenings they had checked perimeters together. John had smiled at him proudly and said that it was something howlers did too, sing at different pitches and in different tones and timing, but with the same melody, just to keep their numbers a secret. Keep enemies guessing. “Once they know your numbers, son, they can figure out how to handle them. Play your song right, and they’ll never know for sure how many you’ve got with you.”   Certainly, even the best ear would not be able to determine how many voices Dean had evoked, across hundreds of miles. But there would be no question after tonight. They were legion, they were strong, and they were ready to wield the wrath of Cerebus in vengeance for their lost cousins.

Dean thought perhaps he had never heard such a powerful song.


	8. Renegade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lone wolf runs from Michael's camp to the Winchester territory.

The pale gray wolf was running, diving through the most tangled part of the forest. He was agile enough that he felt confident he wouldn't break a leg on the roots, but anyone pursuing him would find this quite difficult terrain.

He did not know if he had gotten away clean. Michael's wolves would not howl to announce their pursuit. He could hear very little over his own heartbeat at this point, and could smell and see only what was ahead of him. For all he knew, they could be mere strides behind him.

It was loathsome to run in his wolf while carrying even a light satchel, but he knew he was as good as dead without it. He might be dead with it, but that was the chance he had decided to take.

He had to get to Castiel, and he could not arrive empty-handed.

Giving Michael the slip was not easy, especially not for one of his most trusted guards, and certainly not for one of Castiel's litter mates, who were watched at all times of the day and night now that the Claw himself had defected, as if they would see his act of defiance as inspiration.

Well, he had. And he was not the only one. When Castiel had exiled himself to the city, he had thought the poor wolf had gone mad after Raphael had mauled Anna. But to leave the city, actually fly from Michael's reach, to join another pack and bond an omega to him...That story had rushed like a prairie fire across Michael's enormous pack. A true Argos wolf, the pack Claw and no less, had freed himself from the gaping maw of an alpha who seemed to be the avatar of Fenris. It was incredible, and it served as a lesson to all who remained that Michael was not, in fact, Fenris. He was not a god.

When Lucifer had left, he had begun a terrible war, but in the end, he had been punished for his sins against his high alpha. When his own supporters had fallen one by one, he had been forced to seek sanctuary among the Vargr, the filthy, dire shifters. But he had been betrayed by the Warg king, as they called him, and Castiel had slipped in and assassinated Michael's brother with Gabriel as witness.

When Lucifer had left, he had stolen away the discontented, those impatient for the pack to split as had been expected when four alphas were born to a single Argos litter, followed by another litter full of alphas after theirs. Surely Fenris was trying to tell them something. But Michael had held on, to his wolves and his power, with unyielding obstinacy. So those of the lowest ranks, many who had never been trained to fight, had followed Lucifer in hopes of gaining a greater seat at his table than Michael's. They were destroyed quickly.

When Raphael left, he took many of the higher ranked wolves, like Uriel, a cousin of the true Argos family. There were fewer of them, but they were far better trained than Lucifer's ragtag rebels. And Raphael himself was ruthless. Lucifer had wanted nothing but the wolves he had stolen and a clean break from the rest of the family. When Raphael broke apart, he wanted what he saw as rightfully his: half the territory, resources, fighters and hunters, and half the females and omegas besides. This was unthinkable.

Michael had gone into a thunderous rage, had punished wolves who even appeared to be considering the offers Raphael made. Alphas suspected of meeting in secret with Raphael's traitor wolves were given no mercy. In one case, an alpha, Inias, whom he had fought alongside for years, was forced to watch his alpha pups slaughtered first, his female and omega pups handed over to the lowest ranked family, then his omega Samandriel was tagged and torn beyond recognition, and then his blood mate Hester had her throat torn out. Finally, Michael had ended the poor wolf's misery by snapping his neck personally.

It was the most terrible thing he had ever witnessed, and he had fought in two wars. Fighting, he understood. Fair battle between packs, or between alphas. But torturing an alpha with the blood and screams of his family, then denying him the dignity even of dying in his wolf like a warrior...

That was the day this pale gray wolf had known he wanted out. And when he had heard that Castiel, a litter mate he had always looked up to, had thrown out the rule book, he had done the only thing he could think to do.

Balthazar grabbed something valuable and faked his own death.


	9. True Argos Traitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prisoner is brought in for a show and tell.

It was just a few hours after the mourning howl had finally faded into echoes. Castiel had practically carried Sam back to their tent. It made him feel good to do it. He hated that the wolf was grieving and exhausted, but it felt so right to be able to provide his strength to care for his sweet omega. He had not really had much opportunity to be there for Sam in the way an alpha should. He loved that Sam was so capable, so strong, so confident...but he was grateful that he still gave Castiel small moments of feeling needed.

Sam was snuggled into him. His wolf was slightly larger than Castiel's-larger than just about any wolf he had ever seen-but he still managed to curl himself into a compact ball composed of warm fur and a musical heartbeat. The warmth and heartbeat had become everything to Castiel, in so little time. This omega was his life now. He had a purpose now as he hadn't for years. Not since Anna.

Castiel awoke first, with his nose twitching. There were so many new smells in this camp, and with all the new wolves from the splinter packs coming and going, Castiel was having a very hard time keeping his alert down, even in a tent that smelled of Sam and bond and home. He had come to appreciate just how sensitive Sam's nose was, and he did not know how the omega could stand it.

The larger wolf gave a soft whine in his sleep, and Castiel realized he had pulled away. He settled back into Sam's warmth but he could not rest. He went to work licking at his stitched paw.

Donna had told him to pick a form and stay in it. "I don't give a howl or hoot which you pick. But I gotta stitch you up one more time, I might just let you stay ripped open, and how do you think you’ll like that? Not much, you betcha!"

How a female could be so endearing while threatening him, Castiel wasn't sure. But he suspected his Anna would have liked life in the Winchester clan. She would have enjoyed Linda, Jody and Donna very much. She would have become friends with Lisa, Dean's capable and bright bitch, who made the whole world more beautiful when she smiled. Anna had been solemn. But had she been whelped into this pack, Castiel wondered if she might have been happier. If only she could be given another chance, to be the disciplined, lethal and proud Argos female that she had been, but born into a pack without the nasty backbiting and complex ranking and mandate to conform into social roles.

Castiel lifted his head again. There was some commotion outside the tent. He nudged Sam over, and watched him roll onto his back. His eyes softened as he stared down at this big omega, tummy showing, sprawling legs and paws in the air. He huffed fondly. Sam looked so much like an enormous pup that he couldn’t help shoving his nose right into his companion’s exposed stomach.

Sam gave a yelp, and curled in on himself. He opened an eye and growled low in warning, then closed his teeth around Castiel’s nose gently. The smaller wolf rolled into a wrestle, and pinned Sam underneath him. Lazily, the younger shifted until there was a man under Castiel’s paws. Castiel had always been taught to shift quickly, efficiently, and he had seen both Sam and Dean had been trained to do so as well. Dean especially was wickedly fast when he wanted to be. But Castiel was fascinated by the way Sam stretched out when he was in no hurry, the way he could watch him slide into his human form so slowly he could see every bit of fur and every sharp angle smooth out. It was beautiful to watch, nearly erotic. He imagined natural howlers or humans would find it grotesque, but for another shifter to see such a gorgeous wolf transform that way…it was breathtaking.

His omega seemed to be sharing his thoughts. “You know,” Sam whispered as he wrapped his arms around his alpha. “Sometimes a shifter is far more attractive in one form or another. You’re as stunning in your wolf as you are in your man. And you in your man is pretty incredible.”

Castiel pushed his nose into Sam’s neck. Had he been in his other form, he might have joked gently about the wording Sam had chosen. Being inside his omega was truly incredible. But he let it go.

He let Sam hold him quietly for a moment. He had done what he needed to do as Sam’s protector. Something outside the tent did not seem quite right, so he had awoken him, and was alert. But on the other hand, he did not truly sense danger, so he saw no reason to actually investigate, or to worry Sam. With Sam’s nose, they would know by now if there was a threat among them. If Sam was not worried, Castiel did not really need to be either.

Sam’s fingers were caressing his skin along his neck and back, scratching here, kneading there, and he might have put Castiel back to sleep if he hadn’t stopped abruptly with a jerk. “Cas?”

The wolf jumped to his side as Sam grabbed for his robe. He narrowed his blue eyes up at his omega in question.

“I don’t know. Smell that? That’s not…I thought that noise out there was just the Tran females or someone, but that’s not…” He wrapped himself into his robe, and gestured for the tent entrance.

Another time, Castiel would wonder about Sam’s automatic insistence on etiquette between the two of them. An alpha led his omega from any closed space into open air or a larger room. Considering how capable and independent he was, it was odd that Sam even thought of things like that. Philosophically, Castiel saw nothing wrong with Sam leading the way out of the tent. But instinctively, he felt differently. He wanted to be between Sam and any threat. He just felt better that way. So he trotted ahead and exited the tent first, and Sam was directly behind him.

They padded silently toward the sounds of arguing at the border of the camp. The camp was busy, as always, but there was a tension carried in every set of shoulders and anxiety in every pair of eyes. When he finally saw why, Castiel stopped with a gasp and a flinch of horror.

Sam crouched beside him. “Who is that? Do you know him?”

But Castiel could not tear his eyes away.

Balthazar.

Fenris save him; it was Balthazar.

A low rumble began in his chest and throat, very quiet, and Dean whirled on him. “Hey! Get over here.”

He meant to snap forward, to obey without hesitation. But it took a few beats of silence, during which every wolf in the vicinity stared at him, to make his legs cooperate. He took a few steps toward his commander, and stopped to look back at Sam, who had not moved. He glanced at Dean, then at Sam again. He physically could not force himself to separate from Sam, not with Balthazar right there.

Dean sighed in irritation. “Sammy, come on.” He rubbed his calloused hand across his face. “He needs to know you’re safe.” It was said in a low voice, meant only for the three of them to hear, though others likely did.

Sam hurried to follow Castiel to their high alpha’s side.

“Shift,” Dean ordered.

The omega had grabbed Castiel’s robe on his way out of the tent. He provided it for his alpha without a word.

Castiel tied his robe, staring at the pale wolf being held in front of him. “Yes, Alpha?” he growled.

“I was about to call for you. Found this cur sneaking into my territory. I don’t know him, but I’m guessing you might.”

Balthazar’s clear blue eyes looked up at him, pleading. The wolf was enmeshed in a chain and leather halter leash, with a muzzle over his bite, and a strap of leather connecting his front legs. These precautions would prevent him from fighting or running, no doubt, but it would also prevent him from shifting without causing serious damage to himself. Castiel could smell the blood on him as much as he could see it. His legs and paws were bleeding badly, all four muddy and broken. As Castiel watched, he held his weight on three paws, then another three. It was the most pitiful, agonizing dance he had ever seen a proud wolf initiate.

“He’s hurt,” he heard himself breathe. “Dean, he’s hurt.”

“I know he is. Don’t know how far he’s come to get here, but he’s just about killed himself to do it. Another mile and he’d probably have lost use of that front left paw entirely. I’d like to get him executed or cleaned up as soon as possible. If you know him, I want your opinion now. I don’t let wolves suffer.”

The round eyes were on him, awaiting his mercy or his ire.

“It’s my brother,” Castiel sighed. “My littermate. Balthazar. And I…I don’t know.” It struck a piercing blow to his own heart to say it, and he could see the tiny cringe in the way Balthazar’s eyes narrowed slightly and blinked. But it was the truth, and he owed his high alpha that. He swallowed hard. “Dean, can he shift? Please. Let him shift and speak. I will perform the execution myself if needs be, but please let him explain himself. He’s…I don’t know if he’s here for Michael. But I know he’s a good wolf at heart. Please. I know you owe me nothing. But I would be very grateful.”

Dean smiled wearily at Sam. “All right. Benny?”

Castiel looked up. He had not even taken note of who was holding his brother’s leash. “Please,” he said again, though Benny was already moving to follow Dean’s command. He could feel the hand of his omega discretely touching his back. The warmth soothed him through the thin fabric of the robe.

Benny and two other wolves, whose names Castiel could not seem to remember right then, worked to pluck off the leather and metal keeping his brother in his wolf. Balthazar dropped to sit as soon as he was able, though he obstinately forced his front paws upright. Lastly, the muzzle was removed. He watched Benny glare into the wolf’s eyes as he did it, as if daring him to bare his teeth. Then the big wolf stepped back to place himself very slightly between the prisoner and Dean. He did not blink as he watched Balthazar’s every move.

Castiel took a robe from one of the other wolves and clothed Balthazar himself as a show of faith. Benny obviously did not like the idea of Castiel getting so close, but he did not care. This was his brother, and he deserved a chance to show he could be trusted.

His normally graceful pale littermate shifted awkwardly, painfully into his human form. “Bloody hell,” he groaned.

“Bloody is right,” Castiel confirmed with a frown. “Give me your paws.”

Balthazar shook his head. “I’ll be fine, Cassie. Don’t embarrass me in front of your new friends,” he teased in a hoarse voice.

Castiel glowered at him. “Why are you here, Balthazar?”

“We cut this off him, Dean,” Benny commented quietly, and tossed a tan satchel to his commander.

“We who?” Sam said suddenly. His voice was low, as if he did not truly want to speak up, but needed to know.

At last, the high alpha laughed a bit. “Cole, Sammy,” he said quietly. “Son of a bitch made it. He and his pack…I’ll let him tell the story. But Victor brought them in half an hour ago, and this mongrel was with him.”

“Mongrel!” Balthazar said indignantly. “Hardly. Yesterday I was a true Argos wolf. Today, I’m a true Argos traitor. But I’m certainly no mongrel.”

Dean rolled his eyes, but when his hand reached into the satchel and pulled out what was inside, he sobered immediately. “This…this what it looks like?”

“It’s difficult to know what an illiterate feral such as yourself-“ Balthazar’s words were cut off by a brutal slap from his brother which sent him flying to the ground.

“Show respect before I disavow any relation to you. This is my high alpha now, Balthazar, and you will treat him accordingly. Do not make me tell you twice.” He took a breath. “In any case, should you live long enough, you’ll find that Dean Winchester is no more illiterate than you are a mongrel, and that feral is a compliment in this territory. Watch your tongue.”

The pale wolf picked himself back up to find every other wolf watching him with amusement, except his brother. He nodded. “As I was saying,” he continued, “I don’t presume to know what a competent commander such as yourself may find valuable during a conflict, but I suspected you might take the maps depicting every defense along the Argos border and every attack planned for Winchester territory by Michael Argos as a peace offering, and possibly my fealty gift, assuming you don’t mind me living a while longer.”

Castiel’s eyes widened. “Balthazar,” he breathed. “If they had caught you with this, they never would have let you die. You would have suffered more terribly than any wolf who has ever crossed Michael. He would have assigned a wolf to torture you ceaselessly for weeks.”

“Ah.” Balthazar nodded. “Yes, well, I could not be sure that I would even be permitted to see you, or even if you were actually still alive, so I needed a bit of collateral as I crossed into enemy territory. So far as I know, Michael believes I am dead. If they had caught up with me, I’d have fought to my death. I’m far too happy to deny Michael the pleasure of torturing me, and I had hope that Dean Winchester would not do it for him.” He paused for a beat, then looked into Castiel’s eyes. “Inias is dead.”

The wolf cringed. “Raphael?”

“Michael. But yes. It always comes down to Raphie, doesn’t it? There was a rumor, likely put out by a rival of Inias, that he was planning to run for Raphael’s territory. So Michael put down his pups and his bitch Hester, mauled his omega nearly to death, then broke his own neck in his human form as a traitor.” Balthazar was trembling very slightly, almost imperceptibly, but Castiel could feel it, and he ached with it.

Castiel could see Sam, Dean and the other Winchester wolves exchanging looks of disgust. He took a breath. “Inias. And Samandriel! I always liked cousin Samandriel. He didn’t deserve that.”

“None of them did, Samandriel and the pups least of all. As if they had any say in the decision Inias made for them anyway. Michael broke our cousin’s neck for the possibility that he was leaving the pack. If you think I’m the wolf who would suffer the most, you’re entirely unaware of how angry he is about your own betrayal, brother.”

He could feel Sam’s eyes on him, and he swallowed. “Dean, please. I’ll vouch for my brother, for whatever that’s worth. I have nothing, so I cannot pay his death price. Please, let me be his keeper here.”

Dean glanced at Sam, who nodded once with lowered eyes. “All right. He’s your responsibility. Get him cleaned up, and I’ll speak to you both later. Benny, get Fred and Kevin Tran, Victor and Cole if they can stand upright. I want you all to look over this with me.”

“Thank you,” Castiel breathed. He turned back to the pale wolf. “You are incorrigible.”

“Just following your example, Cassie,” he sighed. “I’m officially on your team. You bastard.”

Castiel gave him a smile.


	10. A Pack Alpha Deserving of the Title

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They take a look at Balthazar's fealty gift.

It read like a playbook for a human sports team. It was disturbing how impressed Dean was with Michael's plans. Castiel had translated when necessary, explaining what certain codes and numbers referred to.

"They will alter their game as soon as they figure out we are expecting them," Sam pointed out.

But Castiel was not so sure. "It may take longer than you expect for Michael to catch on to that," he said quietly. "And for two reasons. He is the sole high alpha in an enormous hierarchy. The disadvantage is that news travels very slowly. A low ranking alpha would never be able to report something directly to one in his entourage. And no one but those permitted at Michael's side can relay a change of orders. The humans and city mutts call it micromanagement, and it is terribly inefficient. I never realized how inefficient until I saw the way your pack operates."

Dean smiled at that.

"And secondly?" Castiel sighed. "Michael's arrogance will lead him to blame his own garrisons for their failures. Balthazar has saved many a Winchester wolf with these stolen plans, but he has sentenced many good Argos wolves to their deaths at the paws of an angry god."

Dean glanced at Sam and Benny. "I've got an idea about that too." He did not elaborate, even as Castiel squinted at him. "Just trust me, Cas."

A small smile came upon his new wolf's face. "Always, Alpha," he responded quietly.

Sam was beaming at him, but Dean could tell Castiel had not even noticed, so intently was his gaze fixed on Dean himself.

Dean yawned wide. "All right. Everyone who isn't my brother or Benny, get out of my sight. Fred, put word out on the wire. All pack alphas need to respond to orders within the hour, so get Lee to help if you need it, and Victor too. Kevin, order your bitches to sleep. Seems they won't unless you make them. Everyone out. Go. I'm tired."

When the rest of the wolves had padded out of the tent, Castiel glanced back briefly. "Thank you, Dean. For my brother's life. For giving him a chance. It's..." He took a deep breath. "It's gratifying to be serving a pack alpha who deserves the title. You can't know it from my behavior the last few years, but I am a loyal wolf at my deepest level. I'm grateful for the chance to serve a good, honorable wolf."

Dean smiled at him kindly, taking note of the exhaustion in the blue eyes. "Sleep, brother."

The word, said in a way meant only for Dean's litter mate and Benny, brightened the older wolf's eyes. He lowered his gaze and backed out of the tent.

Dean stared after him. "I don't like Michael Argos," he said unnecessarily.

"There's something wrong with a wolf even his litter mates and little brothers hate," Sam said quietly.

"I don't know," Benny teased gently as he mussed Sam's hair. "I don't see that the brothers are anything to like either."

Sam shoved at the big wolf, who laughed.

Dean smirked. "Knock it off you two. Tell me now. You think this can work?"

His brother glanced at Benny first, always waiting his turn to speak when he knew he would get the chance.

"I think we gotta try, Dean," Benny sighed. "I'll be the first in line to tag an Argos, especially that pretty cur Sammy brought in, but I also gotta say...if being whelped and reared up by brutes were reason enough to die, your daddy wouldn't have brought me here, and that's a fact. Blondie said he got fed up when Michael slaughtered a bunch of pups and a bitch to make a point, and left an innocent omega scarred up and alone. I once killed a pack alpha for less than that. Michael Argos is a monster. Don't mean every Argos is."

Dean nodded and turned to his brother. "Sammy?"

"Benny's right. We know a lot of the Argos are no better than thugs in suits. But some of them, maybe even most of them, are just good wolves born into the wrong territory. And strategically, it'll weaken his ranks. If for no other reason, that's enough to try."

He took in a deep breath. "All right. Say nothing to Castiel or Balthazar. Not a single word. Wish I could run it past Bobby. Why the hell did he have to stay at Harvelle's?"

"Because he knew you got Sam, brother," Benny said quietly.

He received a smile from each of the true Winchester wolves.

Dean stared again at the closed entrance to his tent. Outside was a proud pack awaiting his command, and his command could change the course of wolf history forever.

"What the hell," he sighed wearily. "Let's go unseat Michael Argos and elevate Gabriel to high alpha."

***


	11. Growl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Attack teams are launched...

Two days before the full moon, Dean's pack struck and struck hard.

Richie, Lee, Garth and a young, eager wolf from Cole's pack, Ennis, were placed on a constant cycle. There were three shifts each day, during which one of them slept and tended to his own family needs for six hours, and the other three spent time on their phones, radios, and other means of communication among the packs. They worked eighteen hour shifts so there were always three, and they each reported to Dean and Benny before heading to their tent for sleep. Frank had taught Fred and Martin to monitor the cameras, and they each took an eight hour shift. Charlie Tran and Ash Harvelle were also points of contact, and Victor's pack, with Calvin in charge, was busy handling any minor, day to day communications, and reporting in to Fred twice daily.

Cole and Victor had taken on the role they used to enjoy, along with their brother Caleb, before becoming pack alphas. Victor was training every alpha, and Cole was training every omega. Two promising trainees of Cole's, Jake and Adam, were busy teaching the oldest pups as much as they could, with the help of Lisa, Dean's blood mate. Jody and Donna Tran were working with groups of female fighters.

Linda Tran was busy arranging for supplies and storage, clean water, silver, and dried meat. Amelia Tran wandered the camp treating wounds of all degrees of prognosis with efficient aptitude.

It was extraordinary to Castiel the way every wolf seemed as prepared for battle as they could possibly be, and at the same time, they were still laughing and trading barbs, and random friendly brawls broke out at the oddest times. Sam was alternating between assisting Cole, and counseling to Dean, and periodically checking on Lisa and the pups. Castiel watched him crossing from the high alpha tent to Cole's side with a swell of pride.

Balthazar rolled his eyes. "You'd think you'd been with this boy king for a full cycle already."

His eyes narrowed. "You never took a mate or an omega, Balthazar. I don't expect you to understand."

"Perhaps not. But I had thought it would take more than that to make you leave your family. When Gabriel told me what happened..."

Castiel huffed. "Did Gabriel tell you his hold on my throat was broken by an omega's strength?"

Balthazar looked at him oddly. "No. And I'm surprised you admit it either."

"With pride, brother. Before I ever bonded him, Sam saved my life, twice. He would have died, shredded by Gabriel, if he'd had to. And he brought his pack for me."

"Do you have no fond memories of home, brother?"

It was asked with such trepidation, so unusual for a wolf like Balthazar, that Castiel turned to look in his eyes.

As he had since they were pups, Balthazar lowered his gaze. Aside from Michael and Gabriel, and long, long ago, Raphael and Lucifer, Balthazar had never lowered his gaze for any other alpha. Castiel had always wondered why he had done so for him, even when they were pups and even when they were alone, but bringing it up was a means of humiliating a proud wolf.

"Of course I have. Argos was my home. Argos is you, and Gabriel, and our cousins, whom I will always love. Argos was Anna. And a stubborn part of me will always love Michael, because I did so fiercely for so long. I will always be proud to be Argos, Balthazar."

His brother succumbed to a small smile of relief.

"But now that I've seen the Winchester pack, the way there is no true ranking here..." Castiel laughed, startling his brother. "When I arrived here, Balt, Dean set me straight on that right away. He said there are two rankings here. Him and not him."

His brother smiled, but he added a wince. "It's become that at Argos, Cassie. Being what we are is a fault now, not an honor. True wolves are kept under lock and key, and cousins formerly trusted are watched at all times. My own orders, the last ones I was given, were to stalk Gabriel. In the meantime, Virgil stalked me, until he defected to Raphael."

"Then you'll want to know I removed his throat when he tried to kill my omega."

Balthazar nodded. "I'm not sorry for that like I should be."

"Virgil was the nastiest among our cousins."

"Surely. But he was family."

"So was Michael, and he sent Gabriel to kill me simply because I wouldn't come home.” Castiel shook his head. “Blood doesn’t make you family. You have to earn that.”

“Have I, brother?”

Castiel smiled at him with surprise. “You nearly killed yourself to get to me. You brought with you a weapon which will be the downfall of my enemy and the glory of my new pack alpha. Yes, Balthazar. I think you’ve earned it. You are my family.” He turned a smirk on him then. “I appreciate you backing down so I didn’t have to kill you. Mouthing off to Dean Winchester. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I had very little left to lose, and I wanted to see what he was made of.”

Blue eyes brightened as Castiel realized what he meant. “You wanted to see if he was just another Michael.”

“He doesn’t seem to be.”

“He isn’t. And that’s the only reason you’re alive right now.”

There was a telltale howl coming from outside the high alpha tent. Every wolf stopped in their tracks to turn toward Benny, except Castiel, whose gaze sought out his omega. When he had located Sam amongst Cole’s students, he touched Balthazar briefly, then moved to stand beside him. Sam smiled, and took Castiel’s hand without looking away from Benny.

“Every Tran is to meet Kevin for orders immediately, at the medical sanitary tents. Every Trenton not on duty in comm is to meet Cole and Victor for orders at the spring, immediately. All visiting wolves will join the Trans for orders,” Christian called out as soon as Benny had everyone’s attention. “Go.”

Balthazar looked lost. He had followed Castiel, since he knew no one else. “Where am I meant to go?”

Castiel deferred the question to his omega. Sam sighed. “For now, go to Tran. They’re the ones heading that way. If you were an exception, Christian would have said so. Trust me. My brother did not forget you’re here. You’re a visiting wolf, for all intents and purposes. Go now. They’ll take care of you.”

Balthazar looked at his brother in question. Castiel jutted his chin at him. “Go. Be prepared to be helpful.”

They watched the wolf limp away as quickly as he could. Sam looked at his alpha. “Will he be all right?”

“He will not cause trouble. He’s conceited, but he isn’t stupid. He’ll follow any orders Kevin gives. He has no choice. What will Dean do with us?”

“He’s sending teams to launch offensives.”

Castiel’s eyes widened, and he felt his heart leap. “Battle?” he barked quietly.

“Battle,” Sam confirmed.

A rush of excitement overwhelmed the anxiety in his stomach, and he could not help his smile. He could feel his teeth pressing against his gums, wanting to drop down and bare. But he forced them to stay retracted, at least until he heard the orders.

When the crowd split, all the Trans and wanderers heading one way, all the Trentons another, all who were left were Dean’s own pack. Even the youngest wolves were carried out of their den tents by their caretakers to hear their high alpha speak.

At last, when there was near silence, Dean emerged from his tent. He was dressed in black logger boots and well-worn jeans along with a belt which Castiel suspected had a cache of silver knives on it. His shirt was the same old, faded beige henley he had been wearing when he had come for Sam in the city, underneath the same green military utility coat, with the collar flipped up over his scruff. On his side was a .45 and another was strapped into a thigh holster. Castiel watched Dean move with grace to address them all, and his heart swelled with pride. This was his general. Not a dog in a three piece suit, ready to send others into battle. This was a wolf who meant to lead them personally. And Castiel meant to follow him beyond the mouth of Hell if necessary.

A female next to Sam nudged him with her elbow. “Lycan. He’s got delicate features for an alpha,” Gwen whispered. Sam chuckled softly and nudged her back, hushing her.

A smile came over Castiel’s face. These wolves were not afraid of angering Dean or his brother. Dean was confident enough in his own position that he had no need to quell teasing and fun, because he knew when it came down to it, every one of these wolves was ready to fight to their last drop of blood to make him proud. This, Castiel knew suddenly. This was what it meant to belong to a pack alpha. It was not a claim on chattel. It was a claim of the heart.

“I know some of you are worried about the changes around us,” Dean began, looking out over the gathered crowd. He climbed onto a small platform so that his face could be seen and he could see every face. “And you’re wondering what brought it all on.”

Castiel’s chin dropped to his chest. “Forgive me,” he breathed so that only Sam would hear. But Sam was shaking his head.

“I was up last noon, long after doing my rounds with each of you, having a personal chat with Cerebus.”

A roar went through the crowd, and even Sam let out a fearsome war howl beside him. Castiel watched with wonder as fists were pumped in the air, and teeth were bared, shouts filling his ears from all sides.

Dean waited for it all to calm down, nodding his head thoughtfully. “He’s pissed,” the alpha reported, and he let loose his most charismatic grin, which resulted in another, louder torrent of pure energy through his pack. Castiel could feel himself joining them, getting swept into the excitement. Sam’s hand was on his arm now, and he began a growl, which Castiel could suddenly hear reverberating off every family member in the vicinity. What began with one big omega quickly wrapped around every wolf among them, and Castiel’s senses were flooded by a powerful bloodlust, fueled by the rumbling deep in the throats of his pack. He was shocked to find himself growling with the rest. He could see and smell and feel every other alpha around him shaking their heads to and fro as if they had the same struggle to keep from shifting as he had. The jerky movement accompanied the dropping of fangs, the extension of claws, and the rush of hot blood through veins. Castiel had never felt anything like this before. A glance into Sam’s eyes revealed a different sort of lust, a savage arousal at the reaction of his alpha. His own teeth had dropped, but his head was ducked down to avoid the impression that he was baring his fangs to Castiel himself. Castiel filled his nostrils with the sweet smell of omega, and every thud of his heart urged him to protect, fight, claim.

Their pack alpha was still smiling. Over the collective rumble, he shouted, “Cerebus is pissed. There’s an arrogant, careless wolf out there who thinks he’s too mighty to be dragged down to His domain. Michael Argos has made plans to come into our land. Raphael Argos is allied with the Lenore abominations, and they slaughtered our cousins in the Pastor pack without mercy. We mourned for that loss, not just as individual packs, but as a united clan, and we shook this ground with our howls.” Dean allowed for another uproar, and gradually spoke again. “Because of the strength of our mourning, we were spared another great loss. Our cousins Trenton could hear us all the way out at the borderlands, and so could the Lenore who attacked them. The Lenore are vicious, arrogant dogs. Trenton’s wolves were smarter. They used our howls to disorient the dogs, who could not tell how many or where we were. As we howled from every corner of the family, our cousins fought for their lives, spurred on by our unified song. The Lenore greatly outnumbered Trenton’s small pack, but wolves as far away as Henricksen and Harvelle circled the fight, and the Lenore became so confused they surrendered to a pup in training!”

There was a peal of laughter over the crowd, and Sam smiled at Castiel. “It’s true. A little brother of ours, from one of John’s secondary litters, he was there training with Cole. When Adam took Chet Lenore’s head, and his buddy, our cousin Jake, took Edgar’s, while they tried to attack the pups, Roman surrendered to Adam. Cole sent Roman’s head home with a female, Eve, to present to his blood mate Eleanor.”

Castiel stared. “They’ve had the same bloodline leading them for centuries. They’ll be destroyed without Roman and Edgar! Lenore will never recover!”

Sam smirked. “They should have thought of that before they tried to take Winchester pups. No pack survives that attempt.”

Dean was speaking again. “Trenton used our song to manipulate the Lenore into complete disorientation. The Lenore were so arrogant as to send their pack alpha and his sole heir to claim the territory themselves. They thought it would be an easy fight. Raphael entered the Lenore territory while their alphas were off to battle Trenton. There is no longer a Lenore pack. Raphael Argos has taken the borderlands.”

Mouths dropped, and shouts rose up from those gathered. Castiel’s head was spinning. “He betrayed the alliance. He sent them after Pastor and Trenton as a means of getting them to leave their own territory unguarded. Raphael…Raphael claimed the borderlands?”

Sam nodded solemnly. “A fight for another day, Cas. Raphael is safely tucked away in the most defensible territory. And that’s why Michael needs Winchester territory so badly. That’s why he wants his best fighters, like you. He saw this coming, knew Raphael wanted the borderlands. He couldn’t move to prevent it, but he needs Winchester land to keep his hold on his own territory.”

“Fenris save us all. Raphael is in the borderlands, and Michael sees his kingdom burning around him. It’s no wonder he’s become so paranoid. He’s going to lose everything.”

Dean shook his head. “Cousins, we are done being used as pawns and playing field in the Argos wars. I told Cerebus what I have in mind, and He will be waiting for us to deliver Michael Argos to him.” His voice quieted just a bit, so that every wolf leaned in as a wave to listen. “We are the only hope the humans have. They think they are safe inside their walls, and behind their guns. They don’t know. They don’t know like we do. Michael Argos controls the cities. He cares about the humans only so far as they provide him with profit for his war machine. You and I know, cousins, wolves were meant to protect the humans. We are their guardians. Winchester has never lost sight of that. Cerebus is waiting for us to deliver Michael Argos to him. There are good wolves in the Argos pack. Damn good wolves.”

Castiel’s eyes lifted to blink at Dean in surprised gratitude from across the clearing.

“But their leader has lost his way. Raphael has taken the borderlands, so Michael will come for ours. We will not wait. We attack, now. We are a peaceful clan, but we know how to go to war, and we know that we have no choice. Michael Argos will come to regret having underestimated the wolves of Samuel Campbell and John Winchester.”

The howls and growls were thunderous now. Castiel could feel the vibration from his ears to the bottoms of his feet. It was glorious, this unity and single-minded resolve. Castiel had never been so proud to enter battle.

And so it was that Castiel, Sam, Christian, Benny and Dean were formed into one team, as other alphas were divided up amongst other team leaders, each given a target and an assignment, and each sent out that very hour, in the direction of a different part of Argos territory. Dean’s team headed straight for Michael’s own capital, slipping silently into enemy territory.


	12. Frisson, Pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Benny's perspective.

Castiel's voice skittered through his head as they ran.

_"The first two sentries are the most critical. They are the fastest runners, and they are the most brutal. Those are the wolves that will kill you sooner than scent you, and those are their orders. They’re to alert the pack, then kill anything that moves in their territory. Virgil got his start as a first sentry. They’re nasty curs that love killing. But silence them, and you will be safe until you reach the alarm system two miles out of the encampment."_

_"That's a lot of running," Sam said softly._

_Dean glanced at him. “Can you do it?”_

_“Yeah. But Cas lost a lot of blood the other night too, and Benny.”_

_Castiel shook his head. “It’s a series of sprints. We’ll be fine.” He had looked at Benny then, nodding with confidence. “We’ll be fine.”_

_Benny had smiled. “Just tell us where to go, and who I’m allowed to maul on the way.”_

_Christian had laughed at that, but Dean shook his head. “We kill as few as we can. First priority is survival. I’ve lost enough wolves this moon. Second to that is a mission accomplished, no matter what it takes. But third is to disable without killing, whenever possible. Look to yourself and your pack mates, but don’t kill anybody don’t need killing.”_

_Benny lowered his head. “Of course, brother.”_

_Christian had winked at him. “Don’t worry, Benny. One of them will give you reason.”_

_Castiel had agreed. “Some of these alphas are former prize fighters. Not smart, not pretty, and surely not friendly. And as far as Michael is concerned? They’re expendable, used only because they kill for the love of it. As I said, they’ll put their teeth to your throats just because you have throats.”_

Benny lunged at the first sentry, knocking him off his feet before he even knew there was a foreign wolf in his vicinity. It was an enormous white wolf, even larger than Benny himself, but Benny had the advantage. Bobby’s ancient recipe for scent mask was the Winchester’s best kept secret, something used only in dire situations, and which only a handful in the family knew how to make. His Gwen happened to be one of them. It allowed Benny and Castiel the chance to stalk their prey until they were practically on top of them before pulling them down.

It was difficult to like Castiel, knowing that he was the alpha Sam had favored over him. It still made his heart ache every time he saw Sam smile at the older wolf. But it was because Benny had not been right for Sam that it hurt, not because of who Castiel was. He had made that distinction in his head as soon as Dean accepted the Argos wolf into the pack, that it was not Castiel who had lacerated his heart and pride, nor even Sam. It was Benny’s fault for having gotten his nose set on Sam in the first place, when it was clear as a cloudless night that the younger wolf was never going to feel the same way. So it was hard to like Castiel, but he had earned Benny’s respect, grudging at first. The Argos Claw was an elite fighter, and an honorable one, in spite of his former loyalties. Each of them loved the brothers, would die to protect either of them.

Strange as it was, the two dark wolves made an excellent team.

They took down their victims at the same moment, like lethal shadows, separated by yards. The huge white wolf snarled and caught Benny’s shoulder in his maw, but then tried to shift clumsily while on the ground. This gave Benny the moment he needed to slam his head into the rocks below them. It took three such blows, but finally, the white wolf lay still.

He heard a sickening crunch in the trees nearby. He did not need to be told Castiel had broken the neck of one of his cousins. The Claw rejoined him in his wolf, but Benny guessed the fatality had been inflicted with bare hands. The silver knife Castiel always carried was still strapped into his halter around his chest, but it was obvious he had recently shifted. Castiel’s blue eyes were impassive glacial orbs, showing not an ounce of emotion beyond cold purpose. He nodded once at Benny, then leapt back into the shadows.

_“There will be a time after eliminating the initial sentries when we will be virtually free to walk through the territory. We will not reach the alarmed perimeter for a stretch, and when we do, we will need a way to deactivate it, or it is all for nothing, as it will call down on our heads every fighter Michael still has at his camp.”_

_Sam nodded at Christian. “Leave that to me. From what I could get out of Balthazar, I think I can use some of Frank’s equipment to scramble the signal the alarm is transmitting. Christian will carry what I need in his halter, leaving me free to run unburdened.”_

_A small, sad smile came to Christian’s face then. “Unlike my brother, and three of you, I didn’t take any injuries this moon. I’m more than capable of carrying extra weight. If something gets me, just rip it off and take what you need, leave me behind.”_

_“Nobody’s getting left behind,” Dean snapped. Then he turned to his brother. “Won’t scrambling a signal alert someone there’s a problem just as clearly as triggering the alarm?”_

_Sam shook his head. “No. I spoke to Victor before he left, and I talked to Cas and Balthazar about their frequencies. I can put out a ghost signal that their equipment will mistake for its own. Just got to get close to the main transmitter, so the signal is coming from the correct location.”_

_Dean sighed and glanced at Benny. “I’ll pretend that made sense.”_

_Benny snickered._

_“But I’m going to need just a little time.”_

_“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Castiel responded quietly. “Michael’s biggest weakness is his arrogance. My brother will never learn to have a backup plan, because he never expects his first plan to fail. Ever. And with what he paid for the thug sentries at the prize fights, he’s never going to believe they’d let five wolves past them. We’ve got such a small strip of territory that we can get in through, and two sentries guarding it, that he figures-"_

_“If anything can get past his thugs, they’ll be big enough to set off the alarm.”_

_“Exactly.” Castiel nodded at Dean. “He’s prepared for a hammer, dozens of wolves at a time. He’s not prepared for a surgical strike. He expects war, not infiltration.”_

_“And he’ll assume that his sentries will smell anything coming toward them, and at least have time to put out a howl,” Dean added with a hint of sly satisfaction._

_“Which they won’t,” Benny confirmed. “Gwen’s putting Bobby’s special sauce on the fire as we speak.”_

_“All we have to do is get to the alarm and its transmitter, and give me and Christian a few minutes peace to get the work done. Then we’re clear to cross, and no human alarm tech is going to keep us from entering the camp.”_

Benny followed Castiel at a fast clip. The Claw was incredibly, devastatingly quick in combat, but no better than an average runner. All the same, he was focused on his task at an intensity which both impressed and frightened the larger wolf.

So this was what it was to be a Claw. Old Man Lafitte had spoken of making Benny his Claw once, before the brute had turned on him in defense of the female he was beating to death. Benny was an excellent, savage fighter, and he would be lying if he tried to say he did not truly love fighting. But he knew now, as he glanced sidelong into the cold, hard eyes of Castiel Argos Winchester, that he was not callous, not ruthless enough for that job. Not the way Michael Argos apparently expected his Claw to be. Benny could not imagine Dean ordering him to kill cousins, least of all his litter mate, and he knew Castiel had killed his older brother Lucifer for Michael. It seemed that if Castiel could be convinced he was doing the right thing, that his mission was righteous, he would stop at nothing. Perhaps that should have bothered Benny, but he knew Dean would never require such a thing from Castiel, and the ferocious loyalty and the hardness to do what had to be done to protect the pack was not a bad thing. Now that Castiel had given his heart to the Winchester brothers, Benny was certain he would not be lead astray again.

Noiselessly, Benny felt three wolves fall into step with them. Neither he nor Castiel bothered to look. These wolves had almost no scent. There was no one else it could be but Winchesters. Only Sam’s notorious nose would be able to pick them out after having applied Gwen’s concoction. But running with Sam at his side had never failed to send a shiver through his blood. It was a rare treat. Benny did not hunt frequently, since his strengths lay elsewhere, and because Dean so often left him in charge of the camp while he hunted himself. So it had been since Sam was practically a pup that he ran with him regularly. The last hunt they had enjoyed together had been marred by his conflicting emotions about Castiel joining them, and by his distraction leading to Sam’s scolding, then the awful attack which had nearly killed the omega. So, in spite of his focus on the mission, Benny allowed himself to feel a rush of pleasure at running by Sam’s side. If it was the only thing he could ever share with Sam, he would yet be content.

Dean cut them off to slow their pace before long, and Benny thought Castiel might have appeared grateful for it. Benny wanted to smirk. It seemed the city mutt had not been in the forest long enough for such a strenuous chase.

 But when Dean walked them to a stop, he saw Castiel immediately put his muzzle under Sam’s chin, as if to hold the weight of his head up. The blue eyes were filled with worry, the first emotion Benny had seen him impart since they had climbed out of the truck hours ago. A stab of guilt hit its mark as Benny stared at Sam. The omega was panting badly, and to Benny’s shock, he allowed Castiel to alleviate some of his weight. A buzz of panic surged through him, and he gave a tiny whimper in question.

His high alpha sent him a glare, and flicked his eyes as a means of communication. He was sending Benny and Christian to pad out a few yards to be sure they were alone. Benny obeyed immediately, but kept his keen ears focused on the whispers of his shifter cousins behind him.

“Sam? Can you do this?” Dean was asking quietly. “Maybe Christian was right. I should have brought-"

“I’m fine, Dean. I’m practically healed. I’m not a freaking human or a howler.”

“No, you’re my brother, and I don’t care how fast you heal, you ain’t healed all the way. It was selfish to bring you. I wanted my best wolves with me, but three of my best wolves aren’t at their best!”

Benny sighed to himself. Dean knew better than to say that to Sam. The stubborn omega would only be more determined to see this through.

“I’m not at my best. But I’m still better than any other wolf you’ve got. So back off. Cas, shift and put on more scent mask,” Sam ordered grimly. “You smell like blood.”

Benny did not hear Castiel’s response, but he heard Dean give a huff, and it brought him and Christian hurrying back to join them. They waited long enough for Christian to apply more scent mask to Castiel and Benny, then headed off along their original trajectory, this time at a trot. Benny could see Dean continuously looking at the moon. It was nearly time.

It took Sam less than ten minutes once they reached the well-hidden alarm system Castiel located. The two dark fighters took the time to pant while Dean and Christian kept watch. Sam shifted gracefully and took what he needed from Christian’s halter, and set to work. Benny glanced at Castiel, and saw that he never took his blue gaze off his omega. It wrenched something in Benny’s heart that he had noticed Sam was struggling, hurting, yet Benny had not. Surely it was because they were bonded, but the fact remained that Castiel had been at Sam’s side, giving him strength and comfort, when Benny had not even known it was needed.

_“We will still need a distraction once we’re crossing into the inner circle. You say the tech circles the camp two miles in every direction. But we can’t assume that every Argos wolf will be home and unaware,” Christian pointed out._

_Castiel shook his head. “No, of course not. Within a mile, we’ll come to the roads.”_

_“Roads?” Sam said in surprise. “They have roads leading to their camp? Real ones? Or just like the dirt trail we’ve got?”_

_“No, this will be like a human road, almost. There’s an enormous amount of activity here,” Castiel responded, pointing at the map with a claw, “between Argos and the city. But if we go in here…” He gestured toward the area which was marked with numbers and scrawled lines. “This was once Myers territory, just south of Fitzgerald. They were absorbed by Argos, but never developed in the same way. Michael just never got to it. So there are roads, but they’re going to be empty. No one uses them. I checked with Balt. He says he hasn’t known anyone to travel that territory for years.”_

_“Adjacent to Tran,” Dean mused._

_“Yes. Michael does almost zero trade with Tran. He trades with the Vargr to the north, but this area? Past the sentries, past the alarm, it’ll be mostly deserted until we’re practically outside his main camp.”_

_“Still a matter of getting in without them hearing,” Christian insisted. “Scents are masked, and we’re only five, but…I don’t want to be ringing the dinner bell on the way in.”_

_Dean smiled darkly. “Cas, do some math. Give us some time for things to go wrong, but what time do you think we could make it there by? You know the terrain better than we do. What’s it going to take to get us within earshot of Michael’s main camp?”_

_Castiel gave him a shrug. “I don’t know. What time? Perhaps six o’clock, if we leave when you plan.”_

_“Then we’ll need to leave earlier.”_

_Sam was watching his brother. “Why? What do you have in mind?”_

_“The other groups, Cole, Vic, Harvelle, and the others, they’re making their moves about five, attacking the wolves we know Michael is sending to us at various vulnerable spots. We’ve got everything else coordinated. Why not coordinate this too?”_

_“What?”_

_“A howl. Like the mourning howl that let Cole get his boys scent masked and on the cabin roofs and in the rafters, in the trees so that when the Lenore came, they dropped down behind them, cutting them off from their leaders.”_

_Benny laughed. “That bastard’s one smart cur. He knows you separate the Lenore from their leader, cut off the head, as it were, and the rest of them can’t operate independently. And the howling, with the scent mask…”_

_“They couldn’t hear where the noises were coming from, because it was echoing over such large distances,” Dean continued. “Like Dad said, Sam, it confuses the enemy, keeps them from knowing how many wolves you’ve got and where. The Lenore could hear them, but they couldn’t figure out where they were, because all the packs around them were singing too. So we do it again. Complete chaos. We get every voice singing in every camp, and the voices will help mask any sounds we or the other groups make as we prepare to attack. At the very least, the Argos wolves will have something to listen to other than us sneaking in. It won’t be loud enough to block us out completely, of course, but it should carry well enough to add a bit of confusion.”_

_Castiel’s blue eyes sparkled. “Michael does not deal well with confusion,” he promised. “He likes things to go as they are scripted. He will not be able to adjust his strategies. And a howl such as the one let out the other night, it would confuse any warning howl from Argos to Argos which might get back to Michael that his garrisons are being attacked.”_

_“Benny, go give Fred the order. Five o’clock. Every pack. Go.”_

When the voices rang out in the distance, it was faint at first, muted, and Benny worried that perhaps they were too far for the song to carry. Then they heard the blaze catch from one branch of the family tree to another, until the entire vast territory behind them was aflame. It was the most intriguing, most disorienting thing Benny had ever felt, listening to what sounded like wolves all around him, and not joining them but simply experiencing it as an outsider would. His heart ached to join his cousins, but instead, he exchanged fanged grins with Castiel and they moved forward through territory that did not belong to them.


	13. What Most Shifters Don't Have

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benny has an instinct that comes from having been raised among natural wolves, and it leads him to delay their plans.

No scent and silent movement made it frighteningly easy to sneak up on wolves. As much as they liked to think they were far superior to common howling wolves, shifters lived in larger packs for a reason. While a howler pack might be as small as five wolves, shifters would never be found in groups of less than fifteen, and were frequently as many as forty. Bloated packs like Argos which refused to split were hundreds in one space, far too many to protect and feed. That size was unnatural. But a pack of howlers could get away with just a handful of wolves, because they had something most shifters did not. There was an instinct about danger which most shifters did not have, which ran in the blood of howlers, which had always fascinated Dean.

Benny was the only wolf he knew who truly had it. Sam's talented nose, Dean's constant watchful eye, and Benny's unfailing instinct made an unmatchable team. Too bad for Michael Argos that he had never taken in a shifter raised by common wolves.

So when Benny got to the outer rim of the enormous camp, and stopped to sniff, Dean signaled to the rest of them with his eyes. The other three lowered themselves, both to take what rest could be had, and to listen and smell the dawn around them.

There was virtually no movement coming from the camp at this time. Unlike common howlers, shifters were almost entirely nocturnal. By dawn, they were happiest in their bedrolls, or in some permanent camps like this one, in their beds. Dean spared a fraction of a second to think of how awful it must be to sleep every night raised above the ground like a human, to be separated from the heartbeat of the earth.

He glanced at Benny.

The brute had a very strange expression in his eyes, one Dean thought he may have never seen before. Then an almost inaudible whine of anguish emitted from his friend's throat.

Sam leapt to him with worry. He sniffed the large alpha all over, then looked at Dean as if to say he did not find anything wrong. Christian's eyes narrowed as he tried to detect the threat.

But Castiel did something which shocked Dean. He lowered himself even further, until his belly nearly touched the ground and he approached Benny in the least threatening way possible. Dean stared. All around them, a camp full of enemy wolves settled into sleep, but there was a storm raging in Benny's eyes that he feared would ruin the entire plan.

Still, he trusted the beast, so he waited.

Benny glowered down at Castiel for several seconds, baring his teeth without growling. Castiel looked up at him patiently, with no fear. In fact, if Dean had to identify the look in those blue eyes, he would have called it sympathy. He and Christian exchanged glances of confusion.

Then Benny began creeping toward a tent, and Castiel followed just behind him. Dean's heart was pounding. He flicked his eyes at Christian and Sam, ordering them to keep watch, and followed the two fighters into the tent.

It was a habitat large enough for a family, but completely bare inside, except for one small wolf, curled into a pile alone, whimpering in his sleep.

Dean stared at the small omega with his face under his paws, then looked at Castiel and Benny.

Castiel shifted in silence. He placed a hand on Benny's heaving shoulders, then approached the little omega. "Cousin," he whispered softly, in a voice so gentle, Dean could hardly believe it belonged to the Claw.

The omega lifted his head in alarm, and Dean sucked in his breath. The thing was mangled, badly. His face was slashed, his ear torn, and his neck was matted with dried blood and sweat.

Benny gave another tiny whine.

Then the omega shifted, awkwardly, as though it were quite painful. He whimpered. "Castiel?"

The blue eyes were filled with pity. Castiel reached out his hand to touch his cousin's face with a divine tenderness. "Samandriel," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. Michael did this to you?"

The small omega collapsed into Castiel's arms, weeping. "He killed Inias, Cassie! Killed Hester, killed the little alphas, killed Inias!"

"Shh. Shh, Samandriel. Shh. I'm so sorry."

The omega stared at him now. "Cassie, what are you doing here? Michael will-"

"Michael will do nothing. These are my friends, Samandriel, and we are here to end Michael's madness."

"There is no end to Michael's madness, cousin," he whimpered. Then he flinched and stepped back. "I...I shouldn't be so familiar with you. I apologize. You are the Claw; forgive me."

"I am no one's Claw. Being cousin to sweet Samandriel is a far more honorable title."

Dean smiled. Perhaps his well-planned assassination was off its timetable, but for just a moment, he did not care. He would deal Michael his due. There would be time for that and for comforting little cousins too. He glanced at Benny to find the wolf staring at the small omega with such intensity that it caused Dean to take a step back.

Castiel seemed to notice too. "Samandriel, this is my friend Benny. He's going to take care of you. We have much work to do this morning, but when we've finished, we will come for you, and we will bring you with us somewhere you will always be safe. Do you want that?"

Samandriel was watching Benny with a mixture of fascination and fear. "Yes. Yes, I think...Cassie...I-I mean, Castiel, how can I help?"

Dean saw Benny's eyes flare with pleasure at the words of the brave little omega, and finally, at long last, he understood.

Castiel nodded. "You can tell us where to find Gabriel. Have you seen him?"

Samandriel smiled softly. "Yes. He was just here. Came to check on me. He's the only one who ever does. He's taken to sleeping alone in a tent in the furthest rim, not far from this one."

Castiel looked shocked. "Furthest? Gabriel belongs at the center!"

"I think, Alpha, it is his way of protesting the way Michael has become so much more tyrannical in the past weeks." Samandriel's eyes widened. "I'm so...Forgive me, my Claw. He's your brother, and my high alpha, and our protector. I have no right to say such a thing..."

Dean narrowed his eyes at the groveling. Benny was beginning to growl very quietly.

"Shh. Samandriel, it's all right. Things will be different after tonight. I promise. Look, can you show me where to find Gabe?"

The little omega nodded quickly. "You...aren't going to hurt him, are you?"

"No, cousin. Not unless I've been wrong about him my whole life."

Samandriel's ears seemed to catch something. He shuddered. "The howls. They're beginning again. It makes everyone uneasy. Makes it hard to listen to anything else, to focus on anything else, when they do that. It's like Cerebus himself is leading the chorus. Makes my blood run cold. I don't know who they are, but I know Michael hates them. The howling makes him crazy."

"Good," Castiel smirked.

Dean felt a rush of pride flow through him. That was his pack. Those were his wolves frightening Michael Argos, confusing Argos wolves, making them disoriented.

"Which tent would Gabriel be in?"

Samandriel sniffed back his fear and stood tall. "The prison tent. And he will be alone. It is all part of his protest, and it infuriates Michael. If Gabriel weren't the new Claw, I think Michael would have sent the Claw after Gabriel."

Castiel lifted his eyebrows. "Funny how that works," he said dryly. "All right. Samandriel, you've been an enormous help. Keep safe, little cousin, and Benny and I will come for you when we have done what we've come to do."

"Thank you," Samandriel whispered, and now it was directed at the quiet beast behind Castiel, who had not taken his eyes off the little omega since entering the tent.

Benny sighed.

Castiel smiled and glanced at Dean. "Our detour just made the entire morning easier. No searching for Gabriel. I know exactly where to find him."

Dean gave him a silent nod, and Castiel shifted without another word, and they tore out of the tent. Sam and Christian immediately burst into a run to match theirs.

Benny was just a step behind them.

***


	14. Prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are no guards, but two alphas inside the prison tent when Castiel and Dean enter.

At the entrance to the prison tent, Castiel scented the air and frowned deeply. There should have been several wolves here, but it seemed that Samandriel was correct that it was emptied out. There was just one other than Gabriel. But he could not make out the identity of that other alpha. A guard, surely. He couldn’t imagine Gabriel would walk about camp without a guard these days, let alone while holed up in the prison tent. 

His eyes met Dean’s, and he waited for the order. Dean looked at Sam for a long moment. It still amazed Castiel the way the brothers could communicate so completely while in their wolves. No words needed to be spoken between them. Dean could take counsel from his brother and give his order without ever shifting. At last, Dean nodded Castiel into the tent, and followed, gesturing for the others to wait on alert. Castiel could see Benny’s ears pricking at the slightest sound, and Sam’s nose working. Christian simply stared into the dawn unblinking, and scratched at his one torn ear.

Castiel and Dean slipped into the tent, which should have had guards posted all around its exterior and interior. But since it seemed there were no prisoners inside, it was unsurprising that there were no wolves to guard them. Castiel could not remember a time when this prison had not been at its full capacity. It seemed the Winchester camp had no equivalent setting. He could see Dean looking around with disgust at the pens built for large dogs. 

A pair of pale green eyes looked out of one of the pens suddenly, and Castiel might have cursed if he had been in his other form. As it was, he dropped into a defensive stance and stared, as did Dean. Before any of the three of them could decide what to do, a voice spoke. 

“This is Gadreel, Castiel.”

The wolf looked from Gabriel to the penned wolf and back again.

“Yes. That Gadreel. The one that was supposed to keep Lucifer from leaving the grounds without Michael’s permission.” Gabriel smiled. “I’m about to let him out for the day. Don’t tell Michael.” He winked.

Castiel looked at Dean, and the two of them shifted suspiciously. “I was told Gadreel was dead.”

“Gadreel’s been in a pen for the last many years. Even other prisoners didn’t know who he was, because he hasn’t been allowed to shift in all that time.” Gabriel unlocked the kennel and an enormous wolf padded out to stand in front of Gabriel defensively. He began a low snarl in protection of his Claw.

Dean licked his lips. “Yeah. We probably shouldn’t have let him do that.”

“Undoubtably,” Castiel agreed. “Gabriel, I don’t want to hurt you, or your pet prisoner.”

Gabriel shrugged and sat upon the bed which was entirely out of place in this tent. “Cassie, I’m beyond caring at this point. Gadreel, please stand down. If they’ve come to kill me, let them do it in peace.”

Gadreel’s eyes narrowed, and he looked back at his Claw as if wondering whether he was serious.

“Forgive him,” Gabriel sighed. “He’s been without social contact for all this time. The only one who ever came and spoke with him is me. And until a week ago, even I never thought to let the poor beast stretch his legs. But you know, Castiel, you, me, Gadreel…we’re three of a kind, little brother.”

“How so?” Castiel murmured, watching Gadreel with distrust. 

“None of us are bad wolves. I don’t think of myself as a bad wolf. Do you? Do you, Gadreel?”

The large beast seemed to wilt with the words. He flinched and his tail dropped. He let out a tiny whine, and lowered himself to the ground.

“Yes. We’re all just victims of our own hearts. And I’m done, Castiel. I can’t watch what’s happening to our cousins anymore. If you’ve the stomach for it, I’ll tell you what they did to little Samandriel and his family one day. But I’d really rather you just did whatever you came here to do.”

Dean stepped forward, giving a glower to the wolf at Gabriel’s feet. “Good. Because we came to kill Michael and elevate you to high alpha.”

Gabriel looked at him. Then he snorted. “Right. Okay. By all means. Castiel, has he lost his mind or is he simply attempting to lull me into a sense of security before he plants his silver in my back?” Gadreel raised himself in alarm, and Gabriel soothed him with a hand on his head. The Claw watched Dean’s eyes for a beat, then spoke again. “Is he serious?”

Castiel glanced at Dean too, then nodded. “That’s his serious face, yes.”

A flash of fear crossed Gabriel’s own features. “I think I liked it better when you were here to kill me.”

His younger brother smiled coldly. “We still can. But that will not help our family, Gabriel.”

“And what do you care about our family, Castiel? You left.”

“I did. And you told everyone. Almost as though you were encouraging them to do the same.”

The whiskey brown eyes lowered to the ground.

Castiel nodded. “Yes. I thought so. Balthazar made it, Gabe.”

Relief flooded over Gabriel’s face. “Good. He’s not a bad wolf either. I’m glad he won’t be forced to do anything he doesn’t feel is right.”

Dean took a breath. “Look. We gotta move. You need to tell us this minute if you’re up to this. We’re taking Michael out tonight, and anyone who stands in our way. We can either leave the pack in chaos, vulnerable to attack from Raphael or any other pack. Or we can leave it securely in your hands, with the understanding that things are going to be different in this region. Decide now. Fight for your high alpha and lose your life in a cause you don’t believe in. Or fight with us and become the high alpha your brother never was.”

Gabriel swallowed with difficulty. “It won’t matter. You’ll never get to Michael. And in the next days, your own packs will be-“

“Just fine,” Dean responded sharply. “We’re well aware of Michael’s plans. He’ll be too late to try to stop the preemptive attacks we’ve set in motion. We will try to keep your family’s casualties to a minimum where we can.”

The brown eyes closed. Gadreel gave another whimper. 

“And why doesn’t Michael seem to know all those packs belong to me, Gabriel? I revealed that secret to you back in the city when I stole your Claw. But it seems that piece of vital information never made it back to your high alpha.”

A weak smile played at Gabriel’s lips. “Ah. Yes, well, I didn’t think it was all that vital. I may have also neglected to mention that Dean Winchester himself came to collect him. I may have made it seem as though Castiel had already run off with the omega, whose name I didn’t know, from your pack, whose name I couldn’t guess. Michael determined through his network, with a bit of help from Zachariah in the city, that Castiel had been inquiring about the Winchester pack.” 

Pieces of the puzzle slipped into place, and Castiel nodded. “That explains much. Gabriel, you have already betrayed your high alpha in this way. You’ve certainly made your position clear by moving yourself into the prison tent. Do I want to know what happened to those housed here before you?”

“No. You don’t. Michael has well and truly lost his mind, Cassie. I’m…I’m not sure what’s going to happen next.”

Dean took another step forward. “I told you what’s happening next. All you have to do is decide if you’re ready for a promotion, because if not, I’m going to have to kill you now. I just don’t have time for any more talk.”

Gabriel met Gadreel’s eyes for a long moment, then he smiled shakily. “I was never a leader. But they’ll need someone. Gadreel, join them. As my first act as high alpha apparent, I’m making you my Claw. Follow this wolf’s orders as you would follow mine. He’s a good wolf.” He caressed Gadreel’s torn ear softly. “As are you, old friend,” he whispered. “Go. I will wake some of my loyalists, and will see if I can interrupt the security around Michael’s tent.” He turned to Castiel then, reaching out his hand. “Cas?”

“Yes, Gabe.”

“Don’t let him suffer. I understand he has to go. But he’s our brother.”

Dean sniffed in disgust. “I don’t let wolves suffer. Even Michael Argos. Castiel, can we trust this wolf?”

Castiel glanced at him. He was not sure if he was referring to Gabriel or Gadreel, but he nodded anyway. “We can. I’ll vouch for each of them with my life.”

“Yeah. That’s kind of the point,” Dean muttered. “Because if either of them go wrong, we’re all dead. You, me, Sam, all of us. You’re certain?”

Blue eyes looked into Gabriel’s. “I’m certain, Dean. They only want what is best for our family, and they know that isn’t Michael any longer. If it ever was.”

Dean nodded. “Then we’re heading for the inner circle of this ridiculous wolf city. Can I assume Michael’s is the tent at the very center, and that it will be guarded with every day wolf he’s got?”

“You can,” Castiel said, with something of a smirk.

“Then let’s go shake up the dawn.”

The former Claw let his teeth drop into a fanged grin. In a blink, they were on their way.


	15. Frisson, Pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> POV Sam

The new wolf with them was nearly so tall as Sam and as large as Benny. Sam did not like running with a wolf he did not know, and he had the disturbing feeling that Castiel did not really know him either. But Dean Winchester did not need to explain himself. Not even to Sam. So when Dean stared hard into the eyes of the two alphas waiting with his brother outside the prison tent, none of the three bothered with a questioning look. This wolf was part of the team, like it or not.

The heartbeats of Sam's family were racing. He could smell anxiety on the new wolf. Castiel had placed himself very deliberately between Sam and this Argos beast, but he did not seem worried. Sam exchanged a glance with Christian, who shrugged, and they refocused on the mission. Castiel's voice sounded in his mind as they crept deeper into this sleeping camp.

_"Balt says all females and omegas are on lockdown after dawn. They must be in their tents by the first light or face his holy wrath. In addition, true Argos alphas, at the highest tier of the hierarchy, are also to be bedded down by dawn. For their own protection, Michael claims. And a lot of the rest of the upper tier alpha guards manage to delegate the day shift to lesser qualified wolves. More to the point, they will be younger wolves, who would never have learned about the Underground."_

_Sam frowned at him. "The Underground? What does that mean?"_

_"It is a failed experiment. Something of a tunnel."_

_Christian sucked in his breath sharply. "You mean...you mean we're actually...Dean...Alpha, I can't!"_

_Sam turned to stare at his cousin. He could not remember ever hearing Christian use Dean's title when it was just them. His nose itched, and he pawed at it. Fear. Sudden, unmistakable fear, coming from Christian._

_Castiel and Benny were watching with concern._

_But Dean was nodding. "I know. It's okay, Christian. I'm not going to make you do that. Cas, tell me more."_

_Blue eyes blinked slowly at Christian, then turned to Dean. "It was a failed experiment from back when I was barely old enough to shift out of my pup. The high alpha of that time wanted something of a panic room, a place to go if some attack or natural disaster struck. It extends from the med tent to the high alpha tent. Dug by human workers and low tier alphas."_

_"Failed," Sam prompted._

_Castiel gave a nod to Christian in explanation. "Shifters aren't meant to go underground. The alphas they sent in to help supervise the dig were left so shaken, some needed medical attention. When it became clear no shifter in his right mind would voluntarily go in to that tunnel, it was abandoned. There was never any point in closing it off."_

_Sam could feel Christian trembling beside him. "Sure!" he barked. "Because no shifter in his right mind would ever go in there!"_

_Castiel nodded. "It is rumored that Michael has tortured wolves by tossing them in alone for hours or even nights at a time. I am one of the only wolves alive who can confirm those rumors as true."_

_Christian's eyes closed against the words. "Alpha, please. I can't," he whispered in desperation._

_The wolf's hand came to rest on his former rival's shoulder. "I promise you. You will guard us from above the ground. I am not Michael Argos, Christian. You know that. But the rest of us...Can we get to Michael that way?"_

_The Claw nodded, flicking his gaze from Christian back to Dean. "It is open on his end. In case he has to remind someone that he is no less a wolf than Fenris and is not to be disobeyed. All we need is to reach the med tent, then we can enter the high alpha tent from the inside. The guards will likely be entirely unaware this can even be done. At most, there may be just a single guard within the tent. The others remain outside."_

_Benny had been silent a long time, but now he spoke up. "Has he got a female or an omega who might be with him?"_

_He shook his head. "His female, Naomi, is housed in her own space. And Michael doesn't trust omegas. True Argos alphas are strongly discouraged from bonding an omega to them." He avoided Sam's widening eyes. "If he has spent time with an omega, he would have already dismissed him before dawn."_

_The scowl on Sam's face was vicious. "Quite the gentleman, as the humans say," he snarled._

_His lover cringed with embarrassment._

So here they were, creeping into the medical sanitary tent. They had run into just a single wolf on their way there, and when his mouth had dropped open at the sight of Castiel, Christian had thrown him to the ground before the thing could howl. There was a detached coldness in the way Castiel silenced the beast with an efficient blow to the head.

Sam felt a shiver flow through him. He was grateful that Castiel was on their side. He would not want him for an enemy.

Once inside the sanitary tent, Castiel wasted no time in shifting to begin shoving aside a large table and several smaller pieces of furniture. There, beneath it all was a stone slab. He glanced at Benny. The other wolf shifted, and together, they lifted the heavy slab to reveal a metal ladder going deep into the ground.

Christian began to breathe too shallowly. "Lycan," he croaked. "What mad wolf designed this?"

Castiel smirked grimly. "Perhaps madness is hereditary for true Argos wolves."

"Let's hope not," Dean snapped. "Who's first?"

Sam remembered Castiel's instructions.

_"I do not know how deep it is, but its length is at least a quarter mile."_

_Christian's face was becoming as gray as Sam's wolf. "Dear Fenris," he breathed._

_Sam put his hand on his cousin's back to provide comfort, and found his normally steely relation all too happy to lean into the omega's touch._

_"A quarter mile," Dean murmured._

_"And we will need to be on two legs the entire way. So holster weapons. There will be no claws beyond that point."_

None, perhaps, but the former Claw of Michael Argos, the one who immediately stepped forward when Dean spoke. "I'll go first. If Michael's being guarded, or, Fenris forbid, there's a wolf down below, I should be between you and it."

At last, the new member of their raiding party shifted to speak. Sam watched, noting that the shift was graceful but there was a pained grimace on the face of the wolf after. "No, brother," he said quietly. "Allow me. Gabriel sent me to ensure your success. I would wager that none among you is so comfortable in closed spaces as am I."

Even Dean turned to watch Castiel consider. "Brother," he whispered finally. "You are a true Argos."

The wolf lowered his gaze. "I think it has been a long time since I merited that status."

"Gadreel," Castiel slowly murmured, "if you help us tonight, you will find yourself redeemed before every wolf in this pack, and will have the status you deserve, not because of your bloodline, but because of your courage and loyalty to your new high alpha."

Sam watched curiously as the wolf stared at Castiel with longing and hunger in his eyes. "Redemption," he sighed. "It is all I've ever wanted. My heart has always been with the family, Castiel. It is why I was condemned in the first place. Lucifer promised his followers peace and freedom. I would not join them, but I could not deny them their escape either. Let me prove to you that I serve Gabriel, my brother and my alpha, for the sake of my family."

Castiel's eyes did not leave the ones pleading with him. "Dean?"

"Make the call, Cas."

Sam watched his alpha nod curtly. "If you choose instead to betray me, brother, it will be at the expense of your throat. Go."

Gadreel sighed in relief and hurried to lower himself into the tunnel with no hesitation.

Christian looked ill.

Dean let out a breath through puffed cheeks. "That's a strange wolf that can jump into the ground like that. Brave or mad, one."

"Desperate," Castiel corrected sadly, and he took several deep breaths to prepare for his own descent.

Sam licked his lips. "Dean? Keep Benny here with Christian. If there's trouble up here, we'll have no way of knowing unless Benny can come after us. I...I don't think Christian would be able to."

His Campbell cousin stood as tall as he could. "I can do whatever you need me to do." He glanced at the tunnel entrance warily, and flinched. "But please, alpha, don't...don't need me to."

Dean nodded. "Benny? Stay with him. He should have backup anyway. I'd leave Sam, but I don't think Cas would handle that well. Sam, go now. I'll bring up the rear. I want you between me and Cas."

Sam smirked at him. "Worried about the helpless omega?" he jabbed so that only his brother could hear him.

Dean snickered. "What? No. I want your enormous ass covering me from anything coming at us, and I want a clear getaway if you get yourself killed."

Sam punched him in the shoulder.

Benny put his hand on the back of Sam's neck. "Be careful, Sam."

He gave the beast a grin. "What's the fun in that?" he teased, pulling a small smile out of his friend.

"Howl if you need me. No tunnel and no wolf is gonna keep me from you if you need me."

"Thank you, Benny. Stay safe on this end until we can make it back to you. Christian? We'll see you in just minutes."

"Stay safe, Sam," he sighed.

Sam let himself drop into the hole, and was immediately filled with a terror he had never felt before. He had never descended into a space like this before. This was nothing like the recessed ground of a den tent or the mouth of a cave. This was unnatural. This was...madness.

But a moment later, he felt Dean clapping a hand on his back and laughing breathlessly. "Can you believe humans use these things all the time? I mean, I've said it before. Wolves, I get. Humans are crazy."

Sam smiled shakily in the pitch black. "You think madness really does run in their blood?" he hissed back as they inched forward through this far too small space lined in stone.

"Cas ran off with a brat like you. That smells like crazy to me."

Sam threw his elbow back and caught his brother in the ribs. "Ass."

Dean laughed.

"Do you two always approach assassination targets while acting like mouthy pups?" Castiel moodily admonished from ahead of them.

Sam found himself giggling. His nerves were becoming more frayed the longer they were in this synthetic, soulless space.

His brother just continued laughing quietly. "Keep walking, Argos. I don't want that half-cracked kennel wolf of yours having all the fun without us."

"I'm beginning to think perhaps mine is not the bloodline with the madness in it," Castiel's disembodied voice responded dryly. Then he spoke again. "Gadreel, can you see anything at all?"

"Yes, brother. My eyes are quite accustomed to so little light. We are nearing the exit."

"Then can the chatter," Dean ordered, becoming serious once again.

Sam sniffed at the stale air around them. He could smell Gadreel, but he could also make out the older scents of wolves long gone. There was blood here, and fur, and a dread that had soaked into the stone. Castiel was right. This place had been used as a means of torturing shifters. Just the thought nearly brought on another bout of panic, but he steadied himself by force of will. He knew Dean was anxious too, and Castiel certainly was. He was the party's only omega, and he needed to stay strong for them. If he made it clear he was unafraid, his alphas would be comforted. He took a deep breath, and forced onto his face a look of determination no one could see, but he could feel steeling him against the fear.

Sam reached one hand ahead of him to touch Castiel's shoulder, and one behind him to rest on Dean's. He could feel tension release from each of them, and a true smile came over him. "We are nearly there," he soothed, and he could feel that his loved ones appreciated the confidence in his whisper.

Just as Sam was beginning to think this tunnel was leading them straight into the territory of Cerebus Himself, he realized he could see something ahead, over Castiel's shoulder.

Gadreel's dark frame lurked near the exit when they caught up. He was illuminated very slightly so that he was haloed by what little daylight was allowed to creep into Michael's tent, and which could reach into the hole.

The large alpha awaited his brother's command.

Castiel glanced back at Dean, squinting in the low light. Dean gestured upward, and the two alphas and Sam sprang into action.

Gadreel and Castiel were out of the tunnel in a flash. When Sam tore out of the hole, he found Gadreel shifting onto four legs and leaping onto a shocked and terrified young guard in his wolf just feet from a grand bed.

Castiel had miscalculated the level of Michael's paranoia.

Two more guards came into view from behind a curtained off area. Sam dove for them, cutting off their howl of alarm. He slashed forward with his silver blade, seeing Castiel's glinting beside him.

Sam had no sense of Gadreel's actions, except that he could hear the ripping and snarling of two strong wolves. And suddenly he was unsure where Castiel had moved. But he could feel Dean as if he were a part of him. In spite of the danger they were in, fighting alongside his brother was exhilarating. They tore down the two guards like they were one enormous wolf, leaving one dead and the other unconscious in seconds. Sam could not feel any of the claws and teeth on him. All he felt was Dean, fighting at his back, sharing in the thrill and bloodlust, as they had when they had hunted Azazel so many years ago. The guards had no chance against brothers who fought so seamlessly and ruthlessly at one another's side.

The battle between Gadreel and the young guard continued behind them, but Sam and Dean whirled to find Castiel in a strange balance between his two forms, as though he had frozen mid-shift. Sam had never seen anything like it before. Entirely against his will, he lowered himself to the ground. Fear curled around his throat.

"Fenris," Dean swore as he stared.

Castiel had located Michael Argos, it seemed. Rage wafted off him; his eyes filled with loathing. His form was contorted in a frightening way, fangs bared, and claws out, muscles rippling with the effort of keeping himself in this form, half wolf and half man.

"You killed my Anna," the alpha snarled with hate. "You. Not Raphael. You."

On the bed stood a sheer white wolf, blindingly beautiful and entirely without fear. It growled low in its chest. Then it shifted, and Sam thought perhaps he was, in fact, looking at Fenris himself after all. The wolf was breathtaking.

"Dear Castiel," Michael intoned. "You remain the only wolf I have ever known who can hold a Lycan shift. You will ever be an oddity among shifters, brother. The broken wolf that could never truly be fixed. The avatar of the first shifter, Lycan Himself."

Castiel was trembling with wrath, watching for any movement his brother made. "You killed Anna," he said again simply.

"She presumed to know better than I what was good for you. Wanted my greatest trophy for Lucifer or for Raphael. Arrogant bitch. It was a pleasure to maul that one."

Sam felt Dean move to assist Gadreel with the young guard who would not go down, but he himself could only stare at the confrontation between the Argos wolves.

"She was everything to me," Castiel growled. The rage was shaking through his whole body now.

"And yet nothing at all to me. You were always my trophy, Castiel. Look at you. Lycan walking the earth, servant of his god Fenris. I couldn't let some bitch come between us, could I? And now it's a male whore you're fighting for. How the mighty have fallen, Lycan."

As Sam watched, Castiel's eyes seemed to flash bluer. He suddenly understood the advantage of holding himself in suspension. The pent up energy coiled through the wolf until power poured off him in waves. It was a great shiver of wrath awaiting its release. Sam could not even guess the concentration and sheer strength necessary for this. All he knew was that in this moment, his alpha was the most powerful wolf he had ever known. And at long last, Michael Argos was beginning to smell like fear.

The sounds of the other battle had finished in a sickening crunch, and then there was silence in this tent.

The distant cacophony of Dean's pack howling was the only thing Sam could hear for just a second, before a sad, familiar voice spoke behind him.

"Learn your mythology, Michael," Gabriel sighed. "Fenris may have created Lycan, but when Cerebus howled for him, Lycan turned from the great wolf of the world to serve only the beast of Hell."

Dean took a breath. "Cas, finish this."

Michael had only enough time to widen his eyes and turn to stare at Dean Winchester standing beside Gabriel Argos, before Castiel was on him.

Sam ached to leap into the brawl, to lend his own teeth and strength to his alpha, to take any bite meant for Castiel. But he knew this was not his fight. It went against every instinct, but he moved back into Dean instead, felt his brother's strong grip on his arm.

Michael Argos, as it turned out, was extremely strong, impeccably trained, and vicious. But in the end, it seemed he was also less of a god than he had presumed.

When at last Castiel had pinned Michael to the ground inside the gaudiest tent Sam had ever seen, the bloody and broken white wolf snarled up at him. "What are you waiting for, you traitor? Kill your master! End the one that made you!"

Castiel's blue eyes were dark with bloodlust, but he gave a feral, fanged smile. "You are not my master, Michael. And the kill belongs to my alpha."

The disbelief on Michael's face lasted only a moment before Dean put a round of silver into his forehead.

The sound shattered the quiet of the morning, and Sam held his breath.

A strangled sigh came from Gabriel. He stared down at his littermate for a long minute, then nodded. "The high alpha is dead. Long live the high alpha." He straightened, closed his eyes briefly, and gestured to Gadreel to follow him from the tent. The wounded wolf padded behind him, and Sam could smell the emotion flowing from them both.

Castiel was bleeding, but Sam could tell he would be fine. He watched his alpha shift entirely onto two legs, and sighed in relief. Instead of the powerful nightmare, the avatar of Lycan, he was again the sad-eyed, beautiful wolf he had fallen in love with just weeks ago.

Castiel's hand went up as Sam tried to approach, and Dean clasped his hand firmly on his brother's arm again. "Wait," Dean murmured.

The former Claw took a deep breath and reached for a clean robe hanging nearby. Sam pulled from Dean's grip and hurried to hold it for Castiel. Blood immediately stained the fabric, but Castiel simply looked at it with detached annoyance. He was exhausted. He spared a weary smile and a soft touch for Sam, then followed after Gabriel to address the wolves surrounding the tent in fear and confusion.

Sam listened to the speech Gabriel gave to those gathered by his loyalists and by the sounds of battle, about a time of peace and change, of a pack united, and a return to what is natural. When the wolves recognized Castiel, shouts of joy and cheers of devotion went up all over the camp. Sam watched through a small slit in the entrance flap, and saw Castiel looking out over his family with a sad sort of pride, and an expression of humbled disbelief.

The large omega smiled softly. "They love him," he whispered. "He didn't know, but they do."

Dean nodded. "He's fought for them his whole life. He fought for them tonight. He did what Gabriel didn't have the courage to do, and what no other could have accomplished. Gabriel has a tough path ahead, but I think Michael had burned all of the loyalty off these wolves. If any of them are sorry he's gone, I suspect they'll keep that to themselves."

Sam nodded, watching his alpha stand tall and silent beside his older brother, showing support without speaking a word. Then Dean's forced voice brought him back.

"He may choose to stay, you know. Now that Michael's gone. Are you prepared for that? To become Sam Argos if that's what he decides? Or to live without your bond?"

The omega turned to stare at him in shock to find painful acceptance on his brother's face. For all that Sam was called the smart one, such a possibility had not even crossed his mind. "I..." He looked back at Castiel and sighed out a tiny, hoarse whine. "Dean, I..."

The alpha nodded sadly. "I know. You can't live without your bond. It isn't even an option." He busied himself checking his Colt revolver, to avoid Sam's eyes. "Whatever he decides, you'll always be a Winchester, Sammy. You'll always be my pups' mentor. You'll always be the other half of me. Don't matter where you are."

Sam drew in a breath, and suddenly, Gabriel's voice and the growing crowd of wolves responding to it faded out, and the only sound he could hear was his own heartbeat, racing along with Dean's.


	16. Out With Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean takes stock of what he's gained and lost.

Dean cleared his throat quietly. He was suddenly exhausted. The day was won. But with the dying out of the adrenaline came a draining of his energy. "Sam? We gotta go. Now. If these wolves find out this whole coup wasn't Gabriel's idea, that it was orchestrated by another pack's alpha, we really will have a war to span every region. Let's go."

His brother glanced back at his companion, and Dean wanted to roll his eyes.

"Sammy. Now."

The soft command pushed the omega, and he followed behind Dean as they slipped through the tunnel entrance again.

Sam was growling. "I don't ever want to go underground again, Dean," he said unnecessarily.

"And you shouldn't ever have to. If I weren't already convinced every Argos high alpha has been a mad wolf, this would do it." He shivered, and was glad for the darkness hiding it. "What real wolf would even think of such a thing?"

"A truly paranoid one."

"You got that right. Any high alpha that would hide underground in an attack or a disaster instead of fighting alongside his wolves? It ain't nature or other packs he don't trust. He's worried about a coup in his own camp. This place was built in case of the very thing that took place tonight, and it backfired for Michael. If we'd had to cross the whole camp in daylight and above ground, we might not have made it. Ain't enough cover up there. But this. It should never have been built, by some sick, dishonorable pack alpha years ago, who thought he needed to protect himself against his own wolves. And it should have been filled in by Michael, but instead he used it to torture his own wolves. It's poetic that its last use should be to place a more honorable wolf in the high alpha tent."

His brother's hand was on his back in the darkness, probably to help him navigate blind, but Dean appreciated the comforting warmth that always came with his littermate's touch. "Is that what he is, Dean? Are we sure of that?"

"Gabriel? No. I'm not sure. I know he's better than Michael, but he was still whelped and raised in this corrupt culture. But Castiel trusts him, you trust Cas, and I trust you. And it's better than leaving this pack's wolves vulnerable to Raphael's greed. There's got to be some balance in this region. If somebody wants to challenge Gabriel's claim, they can do that with some ritual posturing. That's better than chaos and war, and being devoured by Raphael Argos. Lucifer was spiteful, Michael was mad, but Raphael is cold and ambitious. I don't like the idea of him gaining more territory, especially not now that he's taken the Borderlands from the Lenore."

Sam's sigh was weary, and he remembered just how much the omega had been through in the past half moon. "One day, Dean, I want to go back to not caring about pack politics. Like...tomorrow."

Dean laughed quietly. He was relieved to see the faint light of day ahead. "Tomorrow, Sammy, I'm putting you and Cas, Benny and Christian, all on lockdown. No getting out of your bedrolls for any reason. Screw consciousness, that's what I say."

"And you?"

"And me what?"

"You'll sleep too?"

Dean was finding it hard to breathe in this stale, confined space. He was glad to find his outstretched hand brushing the metal of the ladder finally. "I'll sleep when Cerebus sleeps, Sammy. There's still a lot to be done. Come on."

He ascended from the tunnel carefully. The scene above made his chest seize with worry and dread.

Benny's hand dropped down to help him up, then Sam as well. "He's...I'm so sorry, brother."

Dean felt a strange ache as he crouched beside Christian's still body. "What happened, Benny?" he murmured.

There were three wolves standing with Benny, and they stepped back awkwardly. "Gabriel sent us to assist when he heard the fighting. We were too late to help your wolf. We've restrained them, the day guards, those your own wolves here didn't completely rip apart. Michael's day wolves...They're too young to know better. They...did what they were trained to do."

Dean nodded quietly. "Yes. They did." He took a breath. "It was too much to ask that we come away with all five who came in."

Benny's face was twisted in grief. "I'm sorry, brother. There were too many. They tried to make us stand down, but Christian and me...we knew we couldn't let them attack you from behind. We had to stand or we'd lose us all. And..." The big beast's eyes reddened at the rims, but he smiled and shrugged. "And had they taken you two and Cas...they weren't going to be looking for you to surrender. Two true Winchesters and an Argos traitor? They'd have let you die in that tunnel. Or worse. Couldn't let that happen."

Dean stood and grasped Benny's hand. "I know, brother. Christian died to give us a chance. And he would have rather gone out fighting like a wolf than to go out underground like a rabbit. I didn't like Christian much, but I wouldn't have wanted that for him. You did right. I'm just glad we didn't lose you too."

Benny shook his head. "Seven Argos wolves against two Winchesters? Ain't even a fair fight for them." He sighed again. "Can't say I'm sorry the new Argos alpha sent some help. Cas didn't want us killing when we could help it, and I sure as hell didn't feel like dying today."

"And I didn't feel like losing you," Dean confirmed.

Sam shook his head down at Christian. "Who would have guessed he'd die saving you and me, Dean?"

"I would have," Dean said softly. "And that's the difference between us and Michael Argos. I don't have to worry that my own wolves are after me." He closed his eyes briefly. "It's going to be hard telling Mark. We just lost Johnny."

Sam nodded.

"Okay." He turned to the Argos wolves. "You know not to mention that we've been here? You got some story for the guards that survived?"

"We have a story."

It was a female voice, and every male whirled to stare. The Argos wolves lowered their gaze and lifted their palms. "Naomi," they murmured.

Dean's eyes narrowed. "Naomi? Michael's blood mate?"

The female smiled tightly. "Well, not anymore. According to Gabriel, Michael is no longer high alpha."

Sam glanced at Dean, then back at Benny, who took a half-step to place himself between the female and Dean. Sam might have found it amusing that Benny saw the sole female as the greater threat to Dean than the three alphas standing on the other side, if his own instinct did not completely agree with that assessment. This was a dangerous bitch.

"Michael is dead, at Gabriel's claws," Dean confirmed.

Naomi smirked. "Please. Gabriel is an accomplished fighter, but he could never take on my blood mate. The only wolf Michael ever feared was Castiel the Claw. Let's leave the official story for those who don't know better, shall we? Gabriel is a lover at heart, and a fighter only when he must be. Michael was put down by Castiel and his new high alpha."

Dean lifted his chin and watched her. "Whatever you want to believe."

"I believe Castiel did what Gabriel should have done years ago. What I might have done if Michael had not had me watched every moment." She smiled coldly. "Unfortunately for him, he had me watched by Gabriel, and that was a poor choice for him."

Dean could practically hear Sam and Benny's mouths drop. He smirked. "Not mourning the late high alpha too much, then."

"Long live Gabriel Argos," she purred. "Not to mention the female who stood beside him during his victorious coup."

He was certain he did not like this wolf. But she was Gabriel's problem. Dean had his own strong-willed female back home, and he was suddenly aching for her and his pups. "My wolves and I have finished our business here. We're leaving the territory. I do not recommend anyone try to stop us."

Benny drew in his breath sharply.

A fond smile came over him then. "And we will be taking with us an omega called Samandriel, who seeks sanctuary among the Winchesters. If you object to that, I will take it up with your high alpha, and let him know I am willing to challenge him. As he knows quite well, the Winchester pack fights for every wolf _with_ every wolf. He would not like to begin his reign by denying me an omega I claim for Winchester."

Naomi smiled in a way that was not a smile at all. "No. I imagine he wouldn't. You and I, Dean Winchester, we want the same things. Peace and prosperity for our packs. Michael's legacy is tarnished by corruption, by manipulation of humans and wolves alike. Gabriel seeks to change things, and I will help him do so. Take little Samandriel, and consider him a peace offering to you."

Dean's lips curled into a snarl. "I will take him, and I will consider him no such thing. I will consider him family from this point on. Do not make the same mistake Michael did, Naomi. By now, my pack and its smaller trading partners all over the region have crushed Michael's raiders. This is the last time I will warn Argos. Leave my family and my land alone, or you will see yours burn."

Naomi lowered her gaze.

Dean gestured to his wolves. "Carry him. He belongs on the soil that was Samuel Campbell's and John Winchester's."

Benny heaved Christian's broken body with Sam's help, and they were escorted by two of the Argos alphas out of the sanitary tent and through the camp. There was far too much other activity for anyone to notice them, even with the dead wolf. Dean and Benny waited and listened outside the empty tent at the outer rim of the camp as Sam headed in.

"Your name is Samandriel?"

"Yes?"

Dean cringed at the fear in the young wolf's voice. Benny whimpered softly.

"I'm Sam, omega to your cousin Castiel. My alpha has claimed you for our pack. Your pack alpha, Michael is dead and Gabriel Argos now leads this pack. He has given you the freedom to choose your pack."

"Choose? Choose my pack? But they watch us all the time, and they're in our heads...How can Michael be dead...?"

Sam's voice was firm. "Samandriel, you must decide now. Come with Castiel or stay with Gabriel."

"I'm sorry. I...I get confused...Yes, yes, I want to go with Cas. The Claw. He said he would come back for me. They killed Inias, and I...I've nothing left here. Even the pups...Where is Castiel?"

Benny gave Dean a pleading look. The pack leader sighed. "Come on."

They lay their dead on the ground and entered the tent to find the young wolf wide-eyed and frightened. "Where is Castiel? The Claw!"

Sam stood back and looked at the others. "He's been tortured, Benny. We can't know if he's going to recover."

Dean frowned. "He was mauled."

"No, Dean. Not just that. Listen to his voice. Hear what he's saying. He's disoriented. He...Whatever they did to him, he may not get better."

Both brothers could smell Benny's rage. "I'm not leaving him here, Dean. Michael's gone, but this is where they hurt him. I will not leave him here. He wants to go. You heard him."

"He's broken, Benny." The words were soft, and Sam would not meet his eyes.

But the fighter shook his head. "So was I when your daddy took me in. So was Garth. And so was Castiel. Winchester is the place wolves go to heal. I won't leave without him. Dean, please."

He could see Sam's smile, and he knew the decision had been made without him. It was just as well. Dean did not allow wolves to suffer. "Take him. Reassure him that Cas will be along as soon as he can. I'll carry Christian. You two make him feel safe. We still have a long walk, and a long day ahead. I've got to get back to my pack. Let's go."

Benny grabbed Dean's arm as he turned. "Thank you, brother."

Dean shrugged sadly. "I had four wolves when I came in here today. I'll leave with four too." With that, he exited the tent and lifted his cousin over his shoulder, to begin the walk toward home.


	17. Promise of a New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel joins the group.

Castiel caught up to his friends just as they were reaching the truck where Mark slept curled in the cab. Dean passed Christian's body off to Benny, then moved ahead to speak to the last brother of the litter. Sam helped Samandriel sit to rest. Castiel approached in silence and put his hand on his little cousin's shoulder. 

"Samandriel," he murmured. 

The little omega smiled shakily at him. He was out of breath, but clearly grateful to see him. "Cas," he responded happily. 

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right. Don't ever worry about me, Cas. I know I'm just an omega, but I'm stronger than you think."

It made his heart ache. "Of course you are. Sam, beloved, would you give us a moment?" He brushed his fingertips along his own omega's arm. 

Sam nodded. He touched Samandriel's face tenderly, then moved to speak with Benny. 

"He's yours, isn't he?" Samandriel said. "I like him very much."

"As do I, little cousin. Samandriel, I know this will seem strange to you, but in the pack we are joining, omegas are valued for their strength as well as any other quality. I know you are strong. You've always been brave. And you are a survivor. Don't forget that."

A small smile was his reward. "They tried to make me tell them who Inias was recruited by for Raphael's pack. Thought I wouldn't be able to keep from breaking. I think it's all that kept me alive, the fact that I didn't say, but let them think I know. It frustrated them that they could not make me give up my alpha's secrets. Inias...I didn't love him the way...not like Sam clearly loves you. But he was always kind to me. And all he wanted was to get his pups away from Michael. I would not tell them that Constantine is the one who told Inias he could get us out."

Castiel smiled proudly. "No one would have blamed you for it, Samandriel."

"I would have."

He embraced his little cousin, sighing with emotion. "That loyalty and courage, Samandriel, that will be treasured in the pack we are joining, not punished." He held him at arm's length then. "Have you felt safe traveling with my new family?"

"Very. They stop to let me rest often. And Sam says we will ride the rest of the way."

"Yes." Frequent breaks for the little wounded omega explained how Castiel had caught up so easily. Gabriel had offered to have him driven by the road to the city, but he had declined. The walk had given him time to clear his head and reconcile what he had just done. 

"I like them, Cassie," his cousin murmured. "They don't seem to mind that I get confused sometimes. Especially...especially that dark alpha. He..." The eyes ducked down to gaze at his own hands. "He smells good," he whispered. 

Castiel chuckled quietly. "Does he? I hadn't noticed."

"He does," Samandriel confirmed. "He keeps asking me if I need to rest, or if I need any help. But he isn't acting like I'm a helpless pup. I like that."

"He is a good wolf, Samandriel. And you...you're one of the good ones too. It makes me happy that you are joining me in my new home."

"Is it? Your new home? Sam said something about you wanting to return to Argos. It saddened him, but he is prepared to do as an omega should, and await your command."

Castiel could hear the tone in the wolf's voice. It was as though Samandriel were using the words they had been taught their whole life as a means of testing Castiel's promise that things were different. 

"Cas?"

"I will not be giving commands to my bond, Samandriel. He is a very intelligent wolf. I welcome his equal say in our every decision. I do not have any desire to return to Argos permanently. I prefer to start fresh among the Winchesters. But if I were so inclined, it would be a decision Sam and I would make together. And that is how it should be, little cousin. Gabriel and I, we have always felt that our omega cousins were treated poorly, but we had nothing to compare it to before. Now that I have experienced both life at the Winchester camp, and weeks of being in love with my own dear omega, I have become more educated. You will never again have to submit to any but the pack alpha, Dean, and he will never ask anything of you that you will not be willing to give. You have my word."

Samandriel's eyes were sparkling. "May I keep calling you Cassie like when I was a pup? If there isn't anyone to say that I'm being too familiar with you..."

Without thinking, Castiel lowered his face into Samandriel's neck and nuzzled him fondly. He could feel the omega sigh happily, could smell his contentment. "I will be Cassie for you, little cousin, no matter how old we both get. And I also hope to become very familiar with the Samandriel I know has always been in there locked away."

He could hear Dean calling to them now. Samandriel began trembling very slightly. "I'm damaged, Cassie," he whispered. "Very. Body and mind. Will the pack alpha be sorry he took me in? Will he turn me back out if I don't get better over time? If you think he might, Cassie, please tell me. I would rather stay here at the edge of the territory, to die here alone, than risk being turned out. I can't...I've already been cast out by one family. I just can't ever go through that again. The dark alpha...Benny...he seems to want to help me heal. What if I don't get better?"

Castiel put his hand on his cousin's cheek. "Samandriel, please believe me that these wolves will care for you with respect. And we will find a way for you to contribute to the pack. As for Benny? He would die before he saw you turned out. He is a protector, Samandriel, and like it or not, strong and brave or not, you need a protector right now. Let him care for you. Trust me, little one. Just trust me."

"I do."

Castiel helped him stand and led him to the truck. 

Sam smiled at his alpha and took Samandriel's arm. "Up here," he said gently. "You and I will ride here with my brother. Benny, Cas and Mark will be in the back with our lost cousin."

"All right."

Castiel frowned. "How did we lose Christian?" he whispered. 

Sam sighed. "I'll tell you everything at the camp."

He let his fingertips brush Sam's neck, making the omega shiver. "I love you, Sam," he said. "And, Sam? I am quite proud to be a Winchester. I hope you know that."

Samandriel smiled at him and climbed into the cab. 

Sam let out a long breath, and put his own hand over Castiel's. "I love you too, Cas. See if you can rest on the way to camp, and then we will sleep for the rest of the day, the night and tomorrow."

Castiel nodded. "That sounds wonderful." He looked up. "Dean? Your other teams?"

The green eyes flashed with dark pleasure. "Fred reported to Mark an hour ago. All points accounted for, and only minor injuries on our side. As for the Argos, every one who surrendered was spared. And it turns out Michael just didn't inspire all that much loyalty. So very few casualties on the part of the Argos as well."

Castiel breathed in relief. "Thank you, Dean."

His hand clasped over Castiel's arm. Then he climbed into the truck cab and hooked his thumb to tell Castiel to get into the back with the others. 

It was the best end to a dreadful day of violence that they could have hoped for. The sacrifice had been harsh, for wolves could never be replaced once they were gone. But all things considered, things could have gone much, much worse. 

Castiel was grateful, and very, very tired.


	18. Families

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean makes his rounds.

Dean had been lulled into sleep. He blamed little Ben. When he opened his eyes, it was three hours beyond dusk, and he had two tiny alphas and a miniature omega snuggled into him. His daughter was curled into Lisa nearby, but the boys were draped over their father. He lay in the domestic comfort for several minutes, soaking in the warmth of his loved ones, before rolling out from under them. The little alphas tumbled off into their mother without waking. Only Ben blinked and yawned.

Dean stretched and shifted, then grabbed hold of his little fuzzy creature and nuzzled him mercilessly, until the pup was humming in bliss. He let the little wolf wrap his bite gently about his chin. "Why do you do that, Ben?" he laughed fondly.

The omega yipped quietly.

Dean scratched his scruff. He glanced at Lisa, who blinked permission to him, then fell back to sleep. "Come on, buddy. Let's go on rounds together. Mama says you can."

Ben sighed with pleasure.

He carried the sleepy pup with him after he dressed in his worn jeans and tee, and buckled his thigh holster, pulling on his boots. When the Colt revolver was in its place, he and Ben began their rounds, checking in with pack families.

"You made me sleep too long, you little monster."

Ben yipped at him again.

"You think it's funny. You're all warm and cuddly and sweet, but Daddy's got things to do. You and your brothers and sister can just sleep all night if you want, but Daddy has to be up. So stop being so snuggly."

The pup grinned at him.

"And no more cute. I'm done with the cute. Cute runs its course eventually, and then you have to get serious. Cute will only get you so far in life." He stopped outside the first tent and greeted the family inside. In every tent, much ado was made about the little omega, and Dean felt himself nearly shivering with pride. Ben seemed to understand every word said in his presence, and he behaved with the discipline of a wolf far older. He seemed to know how important these wolves were to his father, and Dean adored him for it.

"You're so much like your uncle Sammy," he murmured as they headed for the last tent. He would check on Sam and Castiel later, but he wanted to see that the newest Winchester was comfortable. "There's a new wolf for you to meet, Ben. And look, he's going to smell strange, because he's hurting bad right now, but if you can sniff past that, you can tell there's something special about this one. Uncle Benny thinks so too."

Ben's eyelids had been drooping, but now his gaze brightened at the mention of the wolf for whom he was named.

The very same wolf was curled up outside Samandriel's tent entrance, hard asleep. Dean laughed and set his son on the ground.

Ben lost no time pouncing on the big alpha, gnawing on his ear and yelping for attention.

The large beast's response was to smile and drop his huge paw on top of the tiny omega, and pull him into a smothering cuddle, all without opening an eye.

Dean snorted. "You're a lot less badass when you're snuggling my kid, big guy."

Benny just held the happy pup tighter.

"I'm here to check on the guest you refuse to leave unguarded. That Gwen I smell in there with him?"

At last, Benny shifted to speak, patting the pup in his arms. He stood tiredly. "She liked him right away. Said he obviously needed some company, and offered to stay with him. Never saw a wolf so grateful for such a little favor. Makes me hate Michael Argos all the more to see how lonely that poor wolf is."

Dean was smiling at him. "And you're out here..."

A sheepish smile came over his face. "Gwen agreed to be my blood mate, Dean. And that little omega...he needs somebody looking out for him till he feels safe. I just...I couldn't go back to my tent when I could be here watching out for them. I know it's silly. I can't help it."

The pack leader laughed. "Okay, Benny. I spoke with Samandriel on the way back to camp, you know. Told him he was free to do and go wherever he wants from here on. Know what he said? Said maybe he'd like to spend time with that nice alpha in the back who took such good care with him before. Asked if you had a bond already."

Benny took in a sharp breath. "He...Did he say that? About me? But, Dean, he just lost his bond. He can't be..."

Dean shrugged. "That's no ordinary wolf, Benny. I think he knows exactly what he wants, but he's never been able to take it before. Go slow, give him a few moons but I don't think you're going to need to worry about taking advantage. He's been through a lot, and it's going to be a long time before he truly feels safe, and he might always have a little trouble focusing-and no wonder after what he said they did to him. But he's smart, Benny. And he's clearly made up his mind that he wants your company."

The eyes were shining exultantly. "He smells right, brother. Like no wolf I ever..." He swallowed hard before forcing out, "Even more than Sam ever did. I never thought it was possible for any wolf to smell more right to me than your brother. This one does."

Ben burrowed under Benny's chin and nuzzled his throat, delighting in the smell of a content, happy alpha.

"I'm glad, brother," Dean said with sincerity. "I thought Sam fell hard and fast for Cas, but this Samandriel...it's like he's been through so much he doesn't feel like he has anything to lose by deciding exactly what he wants. He's a strange mix of broken and unbreakable."

Benny beamed at him. "I'm happy, Dean. I don't think I ever really thought I would be a part of a family. I thought you and Sam were all I'd ever have, and I was okay with that. But Gwen, and now Samandriel. They're both happy to let me take care of them, but they're both so strong and...I can't imagine there's a better family in the world for me."

"He's a Sam. You sure that's not all it is?" Dean teased gently.

Benny shoved him with a laugh. "I like secure omegas and females, okay? Name's got nothing to do with it. It's the sweet on top of the strong that gets me."

Dean snickered. "Yeah, okay. Take care of them, but let them take care of you too. You've earned yourself a good family, brother."

"Me, the brute, the mongrel, with a blood mate and an omega bond. You think it could happen? They're both so perfect."

That Benny saw quirky Gwen and torn, abused Samandriel as perfect said it all. "I think that's exactly what's gonna happen, buddy. I'm happy for you." He laughed again. "I bet they wouldn't mind if you slept inside the tent, you know."

"Oh!" Benny shook his head, his face flushing red. "No, I can't do that. They need their space, and I don't want to impose. Maybe one day, if they both don't mind...I want them to feel safe, and know that I don't mean no harm. I'm just obliged they don't mind me keeping an eye out for them from out here."

Dean took hold of his pup. "Benny, you're a good wolf."

"No, but maybe I will be one day. With family like you and Sam, and these two...Maybe one day."

Ben sighed as his father carried him to the tent Castiel and Sam shared.

"I know, buddy. Benny is one of the good guys. We'll convince him of that one day."

It was a strangely quiet night. Dean had issued the order for the night to be treated as a holiday. He intended to give his wolves some much-needed, hard-earned rest, and by his order, only essential work was to be done this night. Those who could be spared from duties were to find a bedroll or a patch of grass under the stars, and simply be. The full moon gathering was just twenty hours away, and he wanted to have rested, happy wolves.

Sam was snoring loudly when Dean pushed his head in. Castiel smiled at him and slipped away from his enormous omega, shifted and robed. He hurried out of the tent behind his leader.

"Do you need something, Dean?"

It was probably lack of sleep which made Dean laugh at him. "Is there more I could possibly ask of you that you haven't already done?"

Castiel tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "I...don't know. I'm not sure what you need done." His eyes were drawn to the pup in his arms. "Is the little beast yours?"

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, Cas. It's my son. Ben." Without warning, he dropped the pup into Castiel's hands.

Blue eyes widened in alarm. "Dean, I don't...I'm not sure-That is, I never..."

The look on Castiel's face was entirely worth having dragged himself out of bed. "It's just a pup, Cas."

"I can see that," he said suspiciously. He raised Ben to look directly into his eyes.

Amusement was apparent on Dean's own face. "He can bite, but he won't."

"He is...a nice pup."

He burst into laughter. "Really? Castiel, great Claw of Argos, is afraid of a little furball pup?"

Castiel's gaze snapped up to meet Dean's. "I'm not afraid," he said indignantly. "I just don't...know what to do with it, that's all. I am quite comfortable with older pups. But these...Until they are old enough to shift, what do you do with them?"

Even Ben looked amused by this point.

"Cas, you teach them. That's what you do with them."

Horror crossed Castiel's eyes then. "You don't want me to teach it something, do you?"

Ben glanced at his father with exasperation. Dean took hold of him. "No, Cas. He's just got to learn the smells of every pack member. Don't panic. I don't intend for you to pupsit."

Relief was clear in the blue eyes. "Of course I'm happy to help in any way I can."

"Of course," Dean smirked. "We're here to check on you and Sammy. He doing okay? He was a bit shaky once or twice yesterday."

"He will sleep all night, I think. And tomorrow too. I will do any of the duties he is meant to perform."

"Relax, Cas. We've all earned a night off. The moon is tomorrow night. Sleep till then, if you can."

"Yes, Alpha."

"You did a great thing for your family today, Cas. I know it hurt to do it."

Castiel lowered his gaze. "Sam is my family now. I've spoken to Balt, and he will be rejoining Argos now that Gabriel is pack alpha. If that's all right with you."

"I think that's a good idea."

He nodded, and stifled a yawn. "And my cousin is grateful for your protection."

"Benny is sleeping on the ground outside Samandriel's tent, where he's sleeping with Gwen."

Castiel's eyes brightened. "I'm glad. He needs family. He will be a good addition to Winchester. I promise you won't be sorry you brought him here."

Dean shrugged. "I haven't been sorry I brought you," he said. Then he smacked Castiel's arm and smiled. "Go curl up with my brother and don't let him up till he's slept all night and day."

Humor sparkled in Castiel's eyes as he took on a look of exaggerated determination. "You can count on me, Alpha."

"I know I can, Cas," he said with far more sincerity. "Come on, Ben," he whispered as he walked away from his friend. "Everyone is fine tonight, and your daddy is tired. Let's go sleep a bit more, what do you say?"

Ben gave a happy sigh, then yawned in agreement.


	19. Quarterly Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four times a year, the family gathers to share a full moon.

Sam had seen so many full moons in his life that they had all blurred together in his memories. Few stood out against the others.

He remembered the first moon Dean had resided over as high alpha. It had been far more solemn than most others. They had just lost John to Azazel. Dean had just had to slash Christian's ear for his failed challenge to Dean's claim. Shifters, like wild howling wolves, preferred psychological warfare to physical combat, especially among their own pack members. As little as Dean liked Christian, it pained him to tag him as a rival permanently. That moon had been uneasy.

But most moons were celebrations, homecomings for wayward Winchester wolves. Sam had learned in the city that some humans had weekly worship services, and gathering of family was often a critical part of it. For a shifter, every full moon was a time to reconnect, to rededicate themselves to one another and the pack. And four times a year, every third moon was the traditional time within the Winchester clan for every wolf to make the pilgrimage back to the place of the high alpha. Every wolf from every splinter pack was expected to make the trip at least once a year, and many came to all four celebrations to renew their fealty pledge to Dean and receive his blessing, to rekindle friendships, to find blood mates or bonds, and to revel in their instinctive passion for the moon. The smaller monthly gatherings were more subdued. But the quarterly full moon was what preserved the family across five regions and countless generations.

Castiel watched in wonder as the families poured in to the fields between Winchester and Tran by dozens. "This is...nothing like an Argos moon."

"Argos wolves already live on top of one another. My family is spread all over."

"Not only that. The air is different. There's such..." Castiel sighed with contentment. "There's such joy here." He breathed deeply for a long time, then narrowed his eyes. "But is not every splinter camp left vulnerable during this reunion?"

Sam shook his head. "No. There are expectations. Every wolf must make the trip just once a year. That means a majority of the other packs' wolves are still home. Only true Winchesters are expected to be at every moon or risk losing our status and our welcome in the territory. And me and Dean...we're the only true Winchesters, aside from his four pups. Don't tell me the Argos don't celebrate the moons."

"Celebrate...no. Revere, certainly. But not in a way which is so..." A wistful smile curled onto Castiel's lips as he watched families embracing and laughing with one another. "Not in a way which is so clearly how it is meant to be."

His omega's large hand took hold of Castiel's. "Welcome to the family. This will be your first moon, and though you've already given your fealty to Dean, you'll be doing it for all the clan to see and for our ancestors to witness and bless."

"Am I meant to do anything special?"

Sam shrugged. "Dean will be accepting renewed vows all day. It's kind of exhausting for him, but he loves reconnecting with every wolf, meeting their pups, acknowledging every pup who has reached adulthood and can give his fealty for the first time. He spends as much time with each individual wolf as they want, and Bobby will be at his side taking notes of any questions asked and promises made. When it is your turn, you simply lower your gaze, show your paws, and declare yourself his wolf, and my alpha. And, as a matter of honor, you may also declare yourself blood mate of Anna Argos. And that is how you will be recorded in the ledger. In that way, she is posthumously made a part of this family."

Blue eyes softened. "I would like that. Very much." He took Sam's other hand and stared up at him with tears sparkling in the emotion. "Sam, I would like that very much," he said again, with a sort of desperate sincerity.

Sam kissed him gently. "Then that's what we will do. I and Dean's blood mate are always the last to declare ourselves. I have always been just Sam, true Winchester and eternally loyal brother to the high alpha. I call myself son of John and Mary most moons. But now I will also be omega of Castiel Argos Winchester, and brother to late Anna Argos Winchester."

Two of the tears escaped, but Castiel squeezed his hands and nodded. "I love you, Sam. So much."

In that instant, Sam could swear he smelled baking bread and coffee mixing with the scent of happy alpha. He breathed it in greedily, and smiled.

A moment later, Lisa was at his side, dumping a female pup into Castiel's paws and a tiny, growling omega into Sam's.

"Whoa!" he cried. "Ben, what happened to you?"

"His brothers happened to him!" Lisa snapped. "Keep these two from under people's feet while I go snatch at the little scruffs."

Sam took Krissy out of Castiel's awkward grasp. He laughed. "Good luck, Lis. Let us know if you need help."

She rolled her dark eyes. "You want to help? Go wrangle your own gray mess!"

As she trotted off through the field, Castiel leaned into Sam. "I assume she doesn't mean you."

"No. I'm gray too, but Dean's always the mess Lisa is referring to. Come on, Ben. Let's go see if we can kick your daddy into gear." As they walked, Sam explained. "Dean loves moon celebrations. He really does. And when he's either addressing the whole crowd or he's meeting with individual families, he's a genius. But mingling among the masses is not exactly his forte. He's probably drinking. Or hyperventilating."

Ben whined moodily, and Krissy cuffed him on the head with her paw.

"Knock it off, you two. Just because your brothers gave you a tumble, that doesn't mean you two get to act like mutts on an important day. This is only your first moon out of the den. If you four can't show your mama and me that you can behave like true Winchesters, you can spend the night in the den with the babies. And Fenris help you if Bobby catches you being brats."

The tiny wolves seemed immediately contrite, and they received a cuddle from their uncle in return. Sam doubted the little alphas would fare so well with their mother.

Castiel was smiling at him oddly.

"What?"

"You are far better with the pups than..."

Sam laughed when his companion stopped abruptly. "Better than you thought I'd be? Because I'm a fighter and a hunter, and I can hack an alarm system, you think I can't be a domestic omega too?"

"You're hardly a pupsitter," Castiel smirked.

"Maybe not," he admitted. "But I am tasked with these guys' education, and part of that is teaching them to act right on a day when their daddy is already stressed and their mother is already exasperated with their daddy."

Castiel nodded. "Perhaps you could add me to your list of students. I need to be educated on a great many things. Dealing with young pups is one of them."

The little ones looked up at their uncle in expectation. He smiled at them happily. "Remember this, you two. One day you might choose to take alphas for yourselves, and I want you to watch Castiel and your daddy, Benny and Garth. Find alphas who are smart enough to know they don't know everything, and are willing to listen and learn. Okay? That's the kind of alpha your uncle Sam would want for you."

Each pup yipped acknowledgement, although it was less clear that Krissy had understood. Ben's sharp eyes were fixed on Sam's, absorbing every syllable. Krissy seemed more interested in trying to squirm out of the grip that held her.

When they called for permission to enter Dean's tent, Castiel took the opportunity to kiss Sam's cheek. "I am happy to be part of this celebration today. And I am proud to declare myself as your alpha."

Sam sighed. "It will be a long night of festivities, my love, but when dawn breaks, it will be just you and me again, and I will show you exactly how happy you make me." He held his niece and nephew with one arm, and reached for Castiel's hand with the other. He shivered with quiet excitement. This moon's energy would certainly be put to good use.


	20. Good Riddance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter, from a new point of view.

The Vargrs' high alpha was a dark wolf, somewhat more compact than many of his subordinates, but unapologetically deadly. When possible, he did not get his own paws dirty. He had other wolves for that. But he was not above taking the kills which belonged to him when he needed to demonstrate his power.

Vargr were not like other shifters. Unlike other shifters who called their originator Lycan, worgs knew their most ancient ancestor to be Chalons. Perhaps Chalons had once been a son of Lycan, but he became something new entirely. Chalons was uninterested in the struggle of good and evil between Fenris and Cerebus, as Lycan was. Chalons saw no difference between the two gods. Both were inadequate, disappointments. Lycan struggled to choose one to serve, and eventually gave himself to Cerebus. Chalons refused to serve anyone at all, and instead gave himself over to none but his own pleasure. Lycanthrope were complicated, self-righteous things. Vargr, called worgs alternatively, were simple. They believed they were entitled to anything they were strong enough to take. Worgs were a great part of the reason humans carried guns and silver knives, and did not wait for an introduction before putting down a wolf who came too close to their towns. Worgs were why the cities were fenced and shut at night.

Their current high alpha had not become so by his kindness but by his cunning. He was a survivor like none other, a politician when he had to be, a killer when circumstances called for it. He walked on two legs almost exclusively, shifting only to sleep. He was the worg King who had betrayed Lucifer Argos and let in the assassins who killed him. Lucifer had been useful, but the king knew he had ambition hiding behind those long-suffering eyes of his. Others might have seen him as a victim of his brothers. The King of worgs knew better. This was a wolf who needed to be put down before he caused too much trouble in the region. He only too happily accepted payment from Michael Argos to give up Lucifer's hiding place.

And now Michael Argos was dead, at the claws of the same two assassins who took down Lucifer.

"Probably should have seen that coming," Crowley chuckled to himself. He poured another glass of excellent scotch. "Good riddance to Argos," he murmured. "And long live the King."

Raphael smiled tightly from across the table. "Indeed."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed this, please consider recommending it and/or commenting here! I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> ~Posing


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